There may be a few small sections of the Leeds United support ‘complaining’ about the club’s £4 million man, but you won’t find Daniel Farke joining the ranks of the critics any time soon.
As far as the Elland Road boss is concerned, Leeds United’s record with him in the XI speaks for itself.
During the four months in which Ilia Gruev was unavailable due to a knee injury, the Yorkshire giants dropped points against Sunderland, Bristol City, Millwall, Blackburn Rovers, Preston North End, Blackburn again and eventually Hull City in that calamitous 3-3 January draw.
Gruev’s made a ‘really good’ return to Leeds’ XI against Burnley a few weeks later.
And, Farke says, it is no coincidence that his team would go on to keep three successive clean sheets with the Bulgarian battler in the heart of their team.
Gruev ranks amongst Leeds’ top five performers both for tackles and interceptions this season. While he might lack the ball-carrying talents of Joe Rothwell or the cult hero status of Ao Tanaka, his manager feels that the £4 million signing from Werder Bremen deserves his turn in the limelight.
Daniel Farke explains Ilia Gruev’s importance to Leeds United
“Ao Tanaka is playing his first season in English football, and he’s outstanding for us. If it doesn’t work and it’s not his day then, after 60 minutes or 65 minutes, you substitute him and bring a different player on,” Farke explains, benefitting from the sort of squad depth most Championship managers can only dream of.
“And it’s not to be criticising too much for one performance when he’s not at his best. The same with Ilia Gruev or Joe Rothwell sometimes. Of course, we mix it a bit up in midfield.
“Ilia Gruev, since he came into our line up more or less in January 2024, probably until his big injury, he was our most consistent player [for nine months]. He was outstanding for us; Defensive-wise, offensive- wise, controlled our game…
“Then, he sacrificed his body. I think it was away at Norwich, he got a tackle against him. He was out for everyone said more than four months. He worked so hard and his socks off in his rehab more or less three and a half months in order to come back as quick as possible.”
Farke hits back at Gruev critics despite Portsmouth defeat
Leeds may have slipped up at Fratton Park last time out – Colby Bishop scoring as that healthy lead at the top of the table was scrubbed out – but that was the first away game Leeds have lost all season with Gruev in their starting XI.
And while he may not be everybody’s cup of tea – Ilia Gruev was subject to jeers earlier in the campaign as some fans took issue with his somewhat safe distribution – Farke feels his importance should not be underestimated.
“Everyone was moaning when he was out about our away form. [They said] ‘We don’t win away games anymore’. Ilia Gruev, after being out for three and a half months, we brought him back, Burnley, away, clean sheet. Watford away, clean sheet, win. Coventry away, clean sheet, win,” the former Norwich City coach adds.
“Yes, right now, his rhythm is a bit away after he was out, after he was back, after being out for three and a half months. He had one or two poorer performances in the starting line-up away at Sheffield and against Sunderland.
“But we still managed to win both games when he was in the starting line up and everyone is like complaining a little bit about him.”
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