Just what the doctor ordered
If Jesse Marsch, Leeds United’s top brass, players and fans could have mapped out what their perfect Wednesday night would have looked like it would not have been too dissimilar to what became reality. Aside from those sloppy, late concessions, this was every inch the resounding, confidence-building thrashing they needed before Sunday’s clash with Brentford.
Yes, this was a struggling, managerless Championship outfit rightly dispatched with ease by a top-flight side, but this is a Leeds team which had not tasted victory in 74 days. From the very first attack, within 30 seconds, it provided everything the club needed to ease the building pressure and take a deep breath before points are up for grabs again this weekend.
Marsch needed to see something which backed up the ferocity and control of last week at Villa Park. While the head coach may not be too caught up with a need for results as proof of evolution or improvement, the fans and the wider public needed this.
READ MORE: Jesse Marsch cuts loose on 'awful' Leeds United stories about dressing room mutiny
The tide has been pushing against Marsch for many weeks now and the only way he secures himself the time he needs to deliver on this project is results on the field. More than the growing potential of a cup run, last night was hugely significant for Sunday.
Any Elland Road regular will know how tense the stadium can be on any matchday, let alone those when the hosts are out of form and sliding down a table with an under-fire head coach. Anything less than a victory over Cardiff City had the potential to turn Sunday into a tinderbox with the fuse ready to light on a misplaced pass or early Bees goal.
Thrashing a team with a very real possibility of playing third-tier football next season will not suddenly take the sting out this week’s tail, however. United’s league position remains precarious and the run of results means home matches against mid-table opponents become critical opportunities for three points.
Wednesday will buy the players and Marsch some breathing space at 2pm on Sunday. The last three hours on the pitch have been promising for the Whites and the fans now have something to believe in when the going inevitably gets tough in the matches ahead.
Gnonto’s Di Canio moment
Nearly 23 years ago, Paolo Di Canio scored possibly the finest goal by an Italian for a top-flight English team, if not by any nationality full stop. Even those who are too young to remember it at the time will have since seen the clip of the West Ham United forward springing into the air before executing a scissor volley into the far corner of Wimbledon’s goal at Upton Park in March 2000.
That goal was the best way to describe Wilfried Gnonto’s first-minute opener to those who were not watching Wednesday night’s match live. United’s Italian is in white-hot form right now and the unerring confidence in that stunning goal summed it up beautifully.
Game by game, the 19-year-old is bringing more and more supporters to their feet with anticipation every time he takes control of the ball. Gnonto has gone from being the deadline-day last resort Marsch considered unready for Premier League football to virtually the first name on the teamsheet.
High-quality, clinical finishing is now being added to the dribbling and pace we saw in his first few appearances for Leeds. Four million pounds for a talent of this potential is already right up there with the best deals Victor Orta has negotiated at Elland Road.
Bamford’s back with a bang
The last time Patrick Bamford was anywhere near as prolific as three goals in two games was at the tail end of a campaign which propelled him to England duty. In the 10 appearances we saw from Bamford before the end of October in this season, there was rustiness and a clear problem with his fitness.
Already, in the space of 69 minutes since last Friday’s comeback at Aston Villa, Bamford is showing why he has such a big role to play in the second half of this season. Just stay fit, Patrick.
The 29-year-old’s finishes against Cardiff were out of the top drawer. They beautifully showcased the relaxed elegance of the number nine’s shooting, technique and composure as well as his build-up play.
Of course, the caveat here and throughout this piece is the lacklustre quality in the opposition. Yes, this was a dire Cardiff team already 3-0 down by the time Bamford took to the field, but he can only get past what’s put in front of him and this was encouraging.
The link-up play with Joe Gelhardt, Brenden Aaronson and Jack Harrison was very good at Elland Road. Despite all of the fanfare around Gnonto, Rodrigo, Georginio Rutter and the rest, Bamford can still be a force in this Leeds frontline.
An embarrassment of riches
Aaronson, Bamford, Crysencio Summerville, Harrison, Rodrigo, Luis Sinisterra, Georginio Rutter, Gnonto and Gelhardt. That’s a lot of players you would generally consider good enough to start for the Whites when Marsch is currently playing three forwards in his system.
Recent history tells you it’s going to be pretty rare for all of that talent to be sharp and fit at the same time, but barring a catastrophic injury crisis, there’s always going to be competition for places in that frontline. It’s an embarrassment of riches and a long-term realisation of years of building in the transfer market.
It’s very difficult to see who gets left out on a day when most of them are fit to start. Gnonto and Rodrigo are the form picks right now, while club-record addition Rutter must expect some priority in the pecking order.
That scenario has England international Bamford, last autumn’s hotshot Summerville, Raphinha’s replacement Sinisterra and prodigy Gelhardt all on the bench or outside the squad. That’s not even mentioning Aaronson and Harrison potentially giving up their best roles in the frontline to compete for the wide-attacking central midfielder role alongside Tyler Adams.
Marsch’s appetite must be whetted by all these different options he now has to hurt opponents. He just needs results to ensure he gets the time he wants to realise his bold vision for an exciting core of attacking players at Elland Road.
READ NEXT:
Four big Leeds United winners against Cardiff as Whites seal FA Cup berth in style
Leeds United player ratings as Gnonto, Rodrigo and Bamford put Cardiff City to the sword
Roy Keane's Ole Gunnar Solskjaer comparison as Wilfried Gnonto answers 'final product' question
Leeds United 5-2 Cardiff City highlights as dominant Whites ease into the FA Cup fourth round
Leeds United hit by Max Wober injury blow as new signing forced off against Cardiff City
