Leeds United defender Joe Rodon has singled out one of his under-appreciated teammates, describing their performance against Brentford as outstanding.
Daniel Farke stuck with his new 3-5-2 system for the trip to West London, as the Whites secured a battling point.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin was the hero for Leeds as his goal rescued a point after Jordan Henderson had put the home side ahead.
Despite failing to keep a clean sheet, the Leeds defence largely kept the dangerous Igor Thiago quiet, impressing Brentford manager Keith Andrews after the game.
Now, Joe Rodon has praised his defensive partner Jaka Bijol after he played an unsung role in earning a valuable away point.
Who was your MOTM for Leeds against Brentford? ⭐
Stach and DCL possibly the stand-outs?
Joe Rodon praises Leeds United defender Jaka Bijol
Bijol was made to wait for his chance at Elland Road after joining Leeds from Udinese, but he is now beginning to show his best form for the Whites.
The Slovenian defender was tasked with shepherding the 11-goal striker, Igor Thiago, and Rodon was impressed with his role in a battling away result.
Speaking to BBC Radio Leeds after the game, Rodon said: “I thought that Jaka was outstanding on him, to be honest, very physical.
“I think we know how physical they are as a team, especially how direct they are, so we kind of knew, you know, what we were going to be up against.
“I thought the whole back three had to be strong tonight, and I thought, especially with their set pieces, I thought we dealt with most things that came our way.”
- READ MORE: Dominic Calvert-Lewin set ambitious Premier League goal target as fine Leeds United form continues
Jaka Bijol was quietly effective against Brentford
Although Calvert-Lewin took the plaudits for his performance against Brentford, Bijol will be quietly satisfied with his display.
Bijol earned a rating of 7.0 from FotMob, and the stats show just how important he was to Leeds’ back three.
Leeds player ratings v Brentford: Stach gets an 8 📊
Do you agree with our player ratings?
The powerful defender made eight defensive contributions in total, with five clearances, four of which were headed clearances, two interceptions and one recovery.
Bijol also made one tackle and 42 touches in a solid performance. The only blot on his performance was his role in the Brentford goal, as the ball ricocheted off his foot when it looked set to hit the post.
However, the fact that Thiago had just 26 touches, no shots and lost the most duels in the match, with 15, shows the unseen importance of Bijol’s contribution.
Receive a digest of our best Leeds content each week direct to your mailbox
