Leeds United winger and daylight robbery case bump transfers off the page — Graham Smyth's Verdict — YEP 2/2/25
By Graham Smyth
Cameron Archer was the story in the build-up to Leeds
United's game against Cardiff City until Daniel James and co bumped him off the
back page.
Southampton said no to a Whites loan approach earlier in the
week but hope lives on that a domino-effect at Premier League level could
soften the Saints' sentiment when it came to the striker.
Only in the transfer-obsessed modern era could a report of a
once-in-half-a-century Leeds United performance begin with a mention of a
player not even in Elland Road employment. So just as James, Manor Solomon,
Junior Firpo, Ao Tanaka and a host of others served a reminder of how good they
are without further additions, this will be the last mention of Archer. This
was their day and not his. He played no part and there's a fair chance he will
play no part in the rest of the 2024/25 story. Even if he does join, he will
not walk into this side. Few would.
Let the Leeds recruitment chiefs worry about what needs to
happen before Monday's transfer deadline, this is a moment to shout about what
the club has rather than what they have not. They have, in James, a winger who
is proving nigh on unplayable, consistently. A Player of the Season candidate
for not only the club but the entire league. They have, in Solomon, a player
proving the belief that he would be too good for this division and its
defenders. They have in Firpo a player capable of putting goals on a plate. And
in Tanaka they have a player worth so much more than the £2.9m paid for him
that Fortuna Düsseldorf should consider themselves the victims of daylight
robbery.
All of those things and the rest of the talent in Farke's
squad combined did not make a 7-0 scoreline even remotely conceivable prior to
kick-off. Cardiff were on a fine run, unbeaten in eight. Their starting line-up
screamed pure Championship encounter. Mid-season games such as these, against
sides at the wrong end of the table, can be tricky affairs and many a promotion
hunter has been humbled at home - see Sheffield United v Hull City.
But the Leeds attacking line-up is capable of so much more
than was shown in the 0-0 insomnia cure served up at Turf Moor a few days
prior. It screams danger to opposition sides who get their pressing wrong or
fail to bust a gut to get back when they lose the ball. With such pace and
technical ability, Leeds should be the league's leading goalscorers and title
contenders. Even the bench, packed with experience and quality, screamed
promotion.
Even so, 7-0? They don't grow on trees. The last one was 53
years ago. Yet even in the 13th minute, with a 2-0 lead, it felt faintly
possible. Brenden Aaronson said after the game that everything just clicked.
Space opened up, Leeds found it and they were devastating.
The first goal was beautiful back-to-front football. Firpo
started it with a lovely pass under pressure into the feet of Joel Piroe. His
through ball for James was even better and when the winger beat the keeper and
cut back to feed Aaronson, the American just had to finish past three defenders
guarding the goal.
The second again involved Piroe. His pass put James in
behind and he was even more unselfish this time, ignoring a good shooting
chance to square for Solomon to score. Even with the ghost of that three-goal
capitulation at home to Cardiff in Marcelo Bielsa's promotion season still
drifting around Elland Road, the only possibility that felt real and tangible
was defeat for the visitors.
Had it not been for goalkeeper Jak Alnwick, Leeds would have
been out of sight by half-time. James had had enough of being unselfish and
began to go for goal, relentlessly. A poorly-struck effort from outside the box
deflected off a defender's leg and drew Alnwick into a full-length fingertip
save. James went on to have a further five attempts before the break. Aaronson
had one saved by Alnwick's feet after one-touch stuff unlocked a beleaguered
defence.
In between James' bursts of personal shooting practice,
Leeds racked up eight corners. Tanaka racked up touches, passes, interceptions,
tackles and moments of class. Everything was in hand. But 7-0? At half-time,
with a two-goal lead, it was still far from scripted.
But then the second half unfolded precisely how Farke, his
squad and the fans would have wanted. James finally got his goal, from a
brilliant Firpo assist, at the seventh attempt. Then James won a penalty, which
was dispatched in the usual deadpan manner by Piroe. And as each goal went in,
Leeds exuded more and more belief that they could just keep on scoring.
Off went tormentor-in-chief James and on went Cardiff's
torment. The replacement, Willy Gnonto, picked up the ball for his first
involvement and ran at the defence before slamming the ball past Alnwick. Five
zip. On came Mateo Joseph, goalless since October until Firpo produced another
terrific cross and the youngster arrived to end his drought. Six zip.
"We want seven," sang Elland Road as a cruel five
minutes of time was added on by the officials. Firpo strode onto the ball
again, this time centrally, and prodded it through for Piroe to tuck in his
second. Leeds had seven. They could have had more - Largie Ramazani spurned a
terrific chance to get on the scoresheet and Pascal Struijk, back involved as a
sub after injury, came close from a Joseph cross.
Cardiff also played in this game, not very well admittedly,
and their role has to be recognised. This is what so many other teams have set
up to specifically avoid because if you give Leeds space and time they will
hurt you. Cardiff played right into the Whites' hands. The goals still had to
be made and finished, though. And the opposition still had to be controlled and
dominated. In a game that begged to be attacked, Leeds did not forget their
system or their processes. They feverishly pressed and harried and chased to
get the ball back right to the end. Joe Rodon was superb at the back. Joe
Rothwell never stopped probing. Illan Meslier was there when there was finally
something to do, palming out Alex Robertson's long-range strike.