‘I scratched my head’ :Pundit says he has a real concern about £4m Leeds player after win at Cardiff

Leeds United bounced back to win at Cardiff City on Saturday, but the manner of victory is unlikely to silence Daniel Farke of all his critics and doubters after a poor start to the season.

   While Daniel Farke had a lot of credit in the bank in his first season due to the circumstances he found himself in when he arrived at Elland Road, the pressure is undoubtedly on this season to secure promotion as Leeds have enough talent to find themselves once  combined again.

   Leeds have won three of their first six games, but the style of football is far from exciting.    One of the most worrying aspects of the recent defeat against Burnley was the way players passed the ball around their backs in stoppage time when the Whites needed an equaliser.

   One of those who was not covered in glory in this game was Ilia Gruev.    With Ethan Ampadu returning midway through this season, the £4m Bulgarian has been given more freedom to move forward.    And notably, he had a couple of attempts on goal early in the win over Cardiff.

   Jon Newsome admits concerns over Ilia Gruev despite Leeds win

   But questions about whether Leeds need both Ampadu and Gruev in the squad have come to the fore in recent weeks as both have scored a league goal since the start of last season.    Equally concerning is that they threw a total of two passes.

   On BBC Radio Leeds (broadcast 21/9 from 17:00), Jon Newsome hinted that issues definitely need to be addressed if Farke is to proceed with the merger.

   “Sometimes I scratch my head because I know it’s been a long time since I played football obviously, so probably a bit like a dinosaur, but the midfielders did everything. The midfielders could defend, they could strike, they could get into the box; in  OK, you had some who were outstanding in defensive midfielders, things like that, but really two men in the middle of the park did everything,” he said.

   “I see, I don’t think Ethan Ampadu is very negative. I think he sits there and does a really good job for us. My concern or my concern is that sometimes Gruev drops too deep. Sometimes he plays next to your center back and I just think that  sometimes a little too negative for me.”

   Ao Tanaka’s opportunity will surely come when Leeds are still in top gear

   To be fair, you get the feeling he’s following orders as he drops to the third center back position – perhaps opening the door for Jayden Bogle and Junior Firpo to run down the flanks.    The problem seems to be that Leeds then struggle to move the ball through the lines, especially when teams try to frustrate the Whites by keeping their shape.

   Fans got a glimpse of Ao Tanaka following his summer move and will be excited to see him get more opportunities, especially if Leeds continue to struggle to catch the imagination.

   Grue’s problem is that Ampadu is the captain, so if Farke decides to make a change in the middle of the park, the former Werder Bremen player is likely to lose his place – especially as Farke has rarely deviated from his favourite.    system since it was named.