The international break has proven to be a successful one already for a number of Leeds United players as Daniel Farke’s squad takes a breather from the Championship promotion race.
Sam Chambers, Mateo Joseph, Dan James and Diogo Monteiro have all scored goals. Rasmus Kristensen kept Cristiano Ronaldo quiet, Ao Tanaka qualified for the World Cup and Manor Solomon was “brilliant”.
Plenty of others have caught the eye too, with Isaac Schmidt winning his first Switzerland cap against Northern Ireland – drawing 1-1. On Saturday night, Wales were in action against minnows Kazakhstan.
A game that was a lot harder than most might have imagined. But James did open the scoring before Leeds target Ben Davies and then Rabbi Matondo fired Craig Bellamy’s side towards three points.
Unlikely Leeds star becomes creative driving force in Wales side
Perhaps a bit under the radar given his consistency in a Wales shirt, Joe Rodon produced a sparkling display at the back for Bellamy’s men once again. Defensively, he was rock-solid for the Welsh side.
But astoundingly, it was his passing that stuck out. A huge 146 successful passes, misplacing five at a rate of 97% and 25 of those passes into the final third – 13 more than the next best player on the pitch.
The way Bellamy has got his side playing sees Wales look to control the ball but be adventurous in their passing, breaking the lines. Rodon’s stats on Saturday at Cardiff prove that he is taking it in his stride.
Joe Rodon’s stats for Wales in win vs Kazakhstan:
- 90 minutes played, 8.1 FotMob rating (fifth-best on pitch)
- 166 touches, 146 successful passes (97%)
- 25 passes into final third, seven successful long balls (100%)
- 11 defensive actions, one tackle, three blocks, five clearances (four with head)
- Five duels won, four lost
Joe Rodon is getting better and better since joining Leeds United
This is a player that joined Leeds on loan in the summer of 2023 after three tricky seasons in which he struggled to get a game at Tottenham in the first two, before a poor loan spell with Ligue 1 side Rennes.
Some may have thought signing Rodon might have been a risk. But the centre-back has proved to all that he is a Premier League-ready player, and continues to get better and better under the guidance of Farke.
His consistency is astonishing and he will be in action for Wales on Tuesday night when they face Gjanni Alioski’s North Macedonia. Then, Rodon and Leeds face his old side Swansea on Saturday afternoon.
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