Well-timed substitutions have become a pretty important part of Leeds United’s promotion bid under Daniel Farke of late.
Where would Leeds United be right now had Farke not shuffled his back when 1-0 down at home to Sunderland a fortnight ago? Joe Rothwell twice crossed for Pascal Struijk at Elland Road as the Championship leaders showed off the sort of squad depth Farke’s opposite number, Regis Le Bris, could only dream of.
Seven days later, Willy Gnonto made ‘a huge difference’ – to quote Jermaine Beckford – as Leeds turned a 1-0 deficit into three points for the second game in a row. This time, away at title rivals Sheffield United.
If Farke had chosen differently, had Leeds’ second-half subs failed to turn the tide, the table-toppers would not be three points clear at the summit but a couple of points behind, glancing nervously over their shoulders and fearing yet another dalliance with the dreaded play-offs.
Farke, however, is not the only manager who can change a game with a switch in personnel while putting the title in sight.
Leeds United target Adam Daghim produces Red Bull Salzburg masterclass
Red Bull Salzburg looked dead and buried only a few weeks ago. But the team who dominated Austrian football for so long are now threatening to shoehorn their way back into the title picture thanks to a run of four wins and three draws in their last seven games.
While Leeds snatched victory from the jaws of defeat against both Sunderland and Sheffield United, Red Bull Salzburg did the same to stop reigning champions Sturm Graz extending the gap between the two sides to nine points.
Now, thanks in part to a staggering contribution off the bench from Adam Daghim, the gap stands at six. And with Sturm Graz wobbling – one win in four for them – the momentum is shifting.
Introduced at half-time, to quote Salzburg24, ‘the joker was unleashed’.
Not that Sturm Graz had much to chuckle about 45 minutes later. Daghim asked the visiting backline if they ‘wanna see a magic trick?’ and, like Heath Ledger’s iteration in The Dark Knight, what followed next was an act of brutality so vicious it would have left the Sturm Graz supporters – not to mention their title hopes – severely shaken.
Daghim assisted Yorbe Vertessen’s equaliser with a lovely first-time through ball on 72 minutes. With 83 on the clock, he turned on the afterburners and crossed for Nene Dorgeles. A third assist would arrive in the space of just 15 minutes when Karim Onisiwo tapped in from another perfectly-placed delivery with the youngster’s trusty left boot.
According to reports, Leeds United could use their Red Bull connections to lure Daghim to Elland Road over the summer. Thus, following in the footsteps of former Salzburg trio Rasmus Kristensen, Max Wober and Brenden Aaronson, not to mention ex-Leipzig enforcer Tyler Adams.
Daghim does what Junior Firpo did in Leeds’ Cardiff City thrashing
Adam Daghim announced himself to the Champions League with a wondrous, almost Robin van Persie vs Aston Villa-esque volley against Atletico Madrid in January.
But with end product proving elusive domestically – the 19-year-old managed only one goal and no assists in his first 18 matches of the Austrian Bundesliga season – 45 scintillating minutes which turned the title race on it’s head felt like confirmation of Daghim’s arrival as the next big thing to come off the Red Bull production line.
You wait all season for an assist, and three arrive inside a quarter of an hour.
Interestingly, only one Leeds player have achieved such a feat since Jermaine Pennant all the way back in 2003. Junior Firpo also provided a seldom-seen hat-trick of assists as the Yorkshire giants thrashed Cardiff City 7-0 a few weeks ago.
“What an outstanding performance!,” Salzburg24 add, understandably labelling Daghim their Man of the Match in a game he only played half of.
“Against the league leaders he only came off the bench at half-time and immediately brought a breath of fresh air. He also crowned his performance with three assists.”
For Letsch, like Farke back at Elland Road, he was simply delighted to have the strength of his squad, and the attitude of those waiting in the wings, proven in such style.
“Adam showed what quality he has,” Letsch smiles. “Whether that was a reaction to me putting him on the bench is not really of concern to me.”
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