Leeds United know all too well that, while dramatic speeches may look good on a Hollywood script, they do not always translate into good results on the football pitch.
Marcelo Bielsa worked wonders at Leeds United while barely speaking a word of English publicly, Jesse Marsch’s rather ill-advised impression of Al Pacino in ‘Any Given Sunday’ quickly started to grate on supporters with poor performances undermining the American’s penchant for the dramatic.
So while Miron Muslic’s first words to the Plymouth Argyle squad may have turned Wayne Rooney’s replacement into something of a social media sensation this week, a 1-0 home defeat to Queens Park Rangers on his Home Park bow was not the sort of ‘new manager bounce’ many had predicted.
Plymouth were as disappointing on Muslic’s debut as they were during the disastrous Rooney reign. A 13th Championship game without a win leaves Argyle rock bottom. Five points from safety.
And with Leeds reportedly keen to reunite Daniel Farke with Bali Mumba – the one-time Norwich City youngster now a regular in Plymouth green – there may have been a spike in viewing figures over in West Yorkshire during one of Sky Sports’ early weekend kick-offs.
Bali Mumba disappoints as Leeds United eye Plymouth Argyle man
Farke worked with Mumba at Carrow Road.
Now 23, the Sunderland academy graduate has come on leaps and bounds on the south coast. Mumba was League One’s Young Player of the Season when Plymouth secured promotion back to the Championship, scoring six goals and setting up seven more while lining up on the right-hand side of Steven Schumacher’s swashbuckling wing-back system.
But whether Mumba is really cut out for life in the Championship – let alone a team with Premier League ambitions in Leeds United – well, it’s fair to say the jury is still out.
Mumba has certainly had his critics amongst the Plymouth supporters of late.
And their mood will not have been helped by the sight of Mumba miscontrolling a high ball with 65 minutes on the clock against Marti Cifuentes’ QPR. As the last man, his poor touch inadvertently set Ilias Chair through on goal.
While goalkeeper Daniel Grimshaw would initially come to Mumba’s rescue, there was to be no reprieve for the Plymouth number two as Rayan Kolli fizzed home the winner seconds later.
Mumba was ‘outstanding’ as Plymouth earned Championship promotion
Now, Mumba is clearly a player with talent.
Schumacher could not speak highly enough of the ‘unbelievable’ Mumba during his time at Home Park. Furthermore, you will not find many positions in which he hasn’t played so far in his young career.
“He’s so versatile. He can play wherever,” former Stoke boss Schumacher said during that promotion-winning season.
“We know he can play wing-back. He did that role last season [and] he was outstanding. I think he can play as an eight in midfield. He has got the quality to go and play in there. He can play in wide areas and he can play as a full-back.
“I know some people will say Bali’s defensive qualities isn’t his strongest point but actually his data was quite good last year.
“His defensive work was good predominantly. He had times where he did switch off and it cost us, but he was a young player and they make mistakes. That’s what happens. It’s my job to try and help him improve in those areas.”
Perhaps, with Plymouth struggling and seemingly destined for the drop barring a Muslic miracle, Bali Mumba is simply a quality footballer stuck in an environment far from conducive to making the most of his ability.
At Leeds, Mumba would play higher up the pitch, given the licence to roam in a possession-based system, while supported defensively by the likes of Joe Rodon and Ethan Ampadu.
Perhaps it is Mumba who needs Leeds, then, more than Leeds need Mumba.
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