Daniel Farke may have made multiple changes to his Leeds United squad last night, but there was no reduction in quality.
Mateo Joseph made only his second start of the season and scored his first two goals for the club, while Jaidon Anthony also made an impact.
Farke has made a handful of positional adjustments, starting with the midfield partnership that started the season, Ethan Ampadu and Archie Gray, both of whom have been needed at the back in the league.
Ampadu has switched between midfield and defence throughout his career, although the former is without a doubt his finest position. Meanwhile, Gray is mostly a centre midfielder who plays right back.
Gray was named Man of the Match on ITV after a fantastic individual performance by the 17-year-old, and Jon Newsome told BBC Radio Leeds after the game that Farke now has to decide whether to transfer him back there permanently.
According to Newsome, Farke now has Gray’s midfield call.
He stated, “I thought Archie was fantastic tonight; the way he covered the grass, you can tell he’s evolved as a player. When Firpo comes down the left in the second half, Archie passes the ball to him and shouts for him to move forward.
“He’s dictating the play like a 17-year-old. He orders 26-28-year-old guys around like a kid; this does not happen in any other workplace. It’s amazing to witness such maturity, belief, and football intelligence.
“I think he’s put a real marker down there tonight and said to Daniel Farke maybe you need to have a little think about this.”
Archie’s great uncle Eddie stated before the game that the 17-year-old would be more superior for Leeds in his natural position, and he was certainly proven correct last night.
Gray has been very impressive at right-back in recent weeks, but he simply moves up another level in midfield, and if Farke decides to make the change, Connor Roberts is ready to step in.
Ilia Gruev missed the defeat to Chelsea due to injury, and if he is unable to recover in time to face Huddersfield Town, a midfield of Gray and Glen Kamara, with Ampadu at centre-back and Roberts on the right, could emerge.
