When Jesse Marsch decided to throw Rodrigo on in January’s FA Cup tie with Accrington Stanley, Leeds United had just gone 3-0 up with 21 minutes remaining.
Accrington were able to get a late goal back. However, Leeds fans were left baffled by the decision to use the Spain international against the League One side with the tie all but won. And the decision quickly came back to haunt the Whites.
Leeds confirmed earlier this month that Rodrigo would miss two months after undergoing surgery on an ankle injury. That would obviously prove to be the final time Marsch would be able to call upon the 31-year-old.
Marsch decision to use Rodrigo has come back to haunt Leeds
Rodrigo has come in for a lot of criticism during his time at Elland Road. Some of it has been fair. He has indeed struggled to live up to the expectations of being the club’s record signing.
But something seemed to change for Rodrigo this season. He has scored 12 goals in all competitions to lead Leeds’ goalscoring charts by some distance.
There was an argument that Leeds were a better all-round side with Patrick Bamford leading the line. But Rodrigo was doing the thing that many would describe as the hardest skill in football: putting the ball into the back of the net.
When it was announced that Rodrigo would be sidelined for two months, it was obviously a big blow for Leeds. However, it seemed that the squad was in a position to get by without him.
How wrong we were though.
Leeds have played four games since beating Accrington Stanley. And in that time, we have scored two goals. Only one of those has come from a Leeds player, with Willy Gnonto finding the back of the net at Old Trafford.
Bamford has had a miserable time. Leeds did not register a shot on target at Everton on Saturday. Meanwhile, we have unfortunately seen Bamford fluff his lines against both Nottingham Forest and Manchester United.
Rodrigo has his limitations as a player. But he had scored eight goals in the three months before being sidelined. And that run included a World Cup break.
Scoring goals is not the only problem. But Leeds did not have to be that good to win on Saturday. And yet, they could not lay a glove on the Toffees in the final third.
Marsch cannot have foreseen that Rodrigo would end up with a serious injury that day in Accrington. But it is certainly fair to suggest that that decision is coming back to haunt Leeds now.
By the time he takes to the pitch again, it may simply be too late for Leeds.
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