A trip to London, away to a QPR side who defeated them 4-0 a year ago, an early kick-off, and at the point of the season when Leeds United often begin to crack.
Let’s just say, as Queens Park Rangers breezed into a 2-0 lead inside half an hour on Saturday lunchtime, there was a vicious sense of deja vu amongst the away supporters.
Leeds United had won just five of their previous 43 trips to the capital heading to Loftus Road. Losing 30, including last April’s four-goal trouncing at QPR’s hands. Leeds had also claimed all three points in just two of their previous ten early kick-offs.
What’s more, it was around this stage 12 months previously, during Daniel Farke’s debut season, when Leeds started to slip from the automatic promotion places and into the gaping maw of the play-offs.
No wonder Farke was keen to frame Leeds’ QPR fightback as a ‘good point’ in the circumstances. It was certainly a point many in the away end would have grabbed with both hands if offered to them shortly after Steve Cook doubled the home team’s advantage.
Junior Firpo and Jayden Bogle make the difference again for Leeds United
Leeds halved the deficit just before the break when Morgan Fox deflected in under pressure from Junior Firpo.
Jayden Bogle then struck an equaliser on 51 minutes, Willy Gnonto making an immediate impact in a number ten role off the bench.
Farke has instilled a real sense of resilience in this Leeds roster. After coming from behind to beat Sheffield United and Sunderland late on recently, this was another demonstration of their ‘bouncebackability’, even if a draw on the road allowed The Blades and Burnley to cut the gap at the top.
“Last season here, they really, really fell apart. They didn’t do that here, even at 2-0 down,” explains Football League expert Ali Maxwell, seeing considerable differences between this Leeds vintage and last year’s edition.
“Leeds didn’t fall apart. They didn’t wobble.”
For most Championship sides, the sight of two full-backs making the difference inside the penalty area – albeit Firpo’s effort was eventually ruled as an own goal – would come as a considerable surprise. But not Leeds.
Daniel Farke is doing something EFL expert has never seen before
Junior Firpo was labelled ‘world-class’ by the Spanish press recently due to his remarkable attacking contributions since returning from injury. Bogle, meanwhile, is enjoying his most prolific campaign ever with more goals than either Largie Ramazani or Mateo Joseph.
Between them, Firpo and Bogle have either scored or assisted 19 goals this term.
“They came back into the game and their full-backs, again, are doing so much going forward,” adds Maxwell, the rampaging duo again popping up in the sort of positions usually associated with a classic centre-forward or box-crashing midfielder.
“Quite apt, really, that they are scoring so much at the moment because I genuinely think they are the most attacking full-backs I think I have ever seen at this level, particularly in a back four.
“We’ve seen really attacking wing-backs, previously. But in a team that is playing with a back four, I don’t think I have ever seen full-backs with as much licence to attack.
“Not just to attack as in stretch the play, [create] width and get to the byline. But coming inside, attacking the box. And, in Firpo’s case, he is one of the most dangerous penalty box attackers right now in terms of how dangerous he is from cut-backs and from crosses.
“Look, they didn’t go on and win it. They actually looked a little bit wobbly from set-pieces and QPR nearly went ahead at the end. From a Leeds point of view, I would be interested in the fans’ mentality here.
“I would suggest this was quite a strong reaction to a difficult situation, i.e being 2-0 down having conceded two goals from two shots.
“They stood up to it. They came back and got a point. For me, I would be taking the positives.”
Farke feels that the international break could hardly be better timed. After three games in six days – and only four points – Leeds could use a rest and a chance to regroup.
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