Leeds United’s nine-match winning league run came to an end at Huddersfield Town today.
The Whites were held to a 1-1 draw against their West Yorkshire neighbours, despite the fact they were reduced to 10 men in stoppage time of the first half after Jonathan Hogg’s red card.
Michal Helik had given Huddersfield the lead just before the sending off, before Patrick Bamford equalised midway through the second half, but Leeds were unable to find that winning goal.
Daniel Farke threw everything at it from the bench but speaking in BBC Radio Leeds, pundit Jon Newsome believes he may have actually got one of his substitutes wrong.
Newsome says Ilia Gruev was playing far too deep in the second half considering the state of the game and thinks that Archie Gray should’ve been kept on instead after his performance in midfield in midweek.
Newsome says Gruev was too deep
He said: “I didn’t think Gruev had a great game today, he has a tendency to play too deep and at one point you’ve got Ampadu and Rodon marking their striker, but Gruev wants to come and drop on their toes and get the ball off them.
“Go play up there in the middle of the park where you are supposed to be playing and I think Archie Gray would’ve probably done that and been a bit more creative for us.”
It was definitely the right call to bring Connor Roberts on at right-back and it was his cross that set up the equaliser, which is the second week in a row he has come off the bench and made an impact.
However, in terms of the midfield, it can be looked at in two ways. Huddersfield barely had a kick after the break and much of that was down to Leeds being able to pick up the loose ball through £5m man Gruev.
That said, Newsome is probably right in the fact he was far too deep and Leeds didn’t really have anyone in the centre of the pitch trying to create something.
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