The October international break has now concluded but how did it go for Leeds United’s jet-setting stars?
Leeds United will soon return to Premier League action and an absolutely massive fixture awaits them on Saturday.
Leeds take on relegation rivals Burnley at Turf Moor in an early must-win game and, thankfully, Daniel Farke has a good record of winning after international breaks.
The Whites had nine first-team stars in international action over the last week, but some fared better than others.
Here are the winners and losers.
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Leeds United losers from the October international break
Karl Darlow – Wales
Karl Darlow has been good for Leeds and, although he is yet to keep a clean sheet, he has proven capable at Premier League level in Lucas Perri’s absence.
So much so that some have even wondered if Darlow should keep his place once Perri is back fit.
Yet, Darlow’s performances for Wales over the international break may have dealt a blow to that viewpoint.
The Welsh conceded seven goals over defeats to England and Belgium and Darlow should have done better with at least five of them. His positioning was very poor, he was weak in the wrist and couldn’t reach shots that were close to him.
If he does that at Elland Road, he will lose his spot very quickly.
Ethan Ampadu – Wales
It was a tough few matches for Ethan Ampadu in the heart of Wales’ midfield, too.
The Leeds captain was pressed to within an inch of his life against England and struggled to cope without much time on the ball, as the Three Lions dominated.
Ampadu was better against Belgium but was penalised for a very harsh handball that gave away the penalty Belgium equalised from.
Ampadu has been excellent in the Premier League so far, but he may have given teams a showing of how to combat him in midfield.
Gabriel Gudmundsson – Sweden
It was a horrible international break for everyone associated with Sweden, including Gabriel Gudmundsson.
The Swedes were defeated at home to both Switzerland and Kosovo, leading to the sacking of manager Jon Dahl Tomasson and nearly all hope of returning to the World Cup extinguished.
For his part, Gudmundsson wasn’t the worst performer and earned decent reviews from the Swedish media, but he did play the Kosovo player onside when he scored the only goal in the defeat.
Leeds United winners in the international break
Jaka Bijol – Slovenia
By far the biggest winner in the international break was Jaka Bijol.
Leeds’ £15m signing hasn’t played a single minute of Premier League football yet, with his only game for the club coming in the Carabao Cup defeat to Sheffield Wednesday.
Bijol has admitted the lack of playing time has been frustrating, but he can’t complain too much given the form of Joe Rodon and Pascal Struijk.
Yet, Struijk put his first foot wrong in the defeat to Tottenham and his place could be at risk. Bijol couldn’t have done more to show he deserves a chance during the international break.
The burly defender helped his Slovenia keep consecutive clean sheets in goalless draws away at Kosovo and at home to Switzerland, who had already defeated Sweden in the break. With those two points, his nation still has a slim chance of making it to the World Cup.
Brenden Aaronson – USA
After facing little but criticism for over a year, things are starting to look up for Brenden Aaronson.
Though he still lacks attacking flair, Aaronson has been putting in hard-working, industrious performances on the right flank for Leeds and more than justifying his place in Farke’s starting XI. He has won more duels than any other Leeds player so far.
At international level, Aaronson has been in and out of the side since Mauricio Pochettino took charge and was left on the bench for their first friendly of the break against Ecuador.
However, Aaronson came on with 26 minutes to go against Australia and impressed. He should have got an assist with a lovely pass that put a teammate through on goal and one outlet said he ‘showed he belongs’ in the squad.
With a World Cup on home soil a matter of months away, that’ll be heartening for Aaronson to hear.
Joe Rodon – Wales
He might not feel like a winner after Wales’ two terrible results, but it was a strong international break on a personal level for Rodon.
The defender was the best of a bad bunch against England and wasn’t at fault for any of the goals, likewise against Belgium.
Rodon continued his unexpected hot streak in front of goal against Belgium, too, as his powerful header briefly put his side in the lead, and he celebrated like it meant a whole lot to him.
It’s great for Leeds that his fine form has continued.
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