‘Mediocre at best’: BBC pundit says he scratches his head watching 27-year-old Leeds star after draw
According to Jon Newsome, who said that he scratches his head when he watches Junior Firpo, the Leeds United left-back performed poorly in the draw with Rotherham United.
Speaking on BBC Radio Leeds (broadcast on 24/11; 22:11), Newsome discussed how the Whites wasted a fantastic opportunity to get within five points of the top two teams in the Championship.
After missing a significant portion of the season due to injury, Junior Firpo made his first start of the year. The choice was made when Sam Byram left the game against Plymouth because of a personal injury.
Jon Newsome not impressed by Junior Firpo after Leeds draw
Sadly, the evening turned out to be somewhat frustrating. Firpo also had a rather rusty appearance. He didn’t seem to have much to give in the future. Furthermore, he did not appear to be at ease playing against a diligent Rotherham team.
It was always going to take Firpo a while to catch up. However, considering his prior performance, it is concerning that the 27-year-old appeared to be lagging behind on Friday. Furthermore, it appears that Newsome is concerned about his performance.
“The most important thing, I believe, is that we all want him to succeed. He said to BBC Radio Leeds, “We do all want him to perform well.
However, I have serious doubts about a lot of aspects of his game, particularly its defensive component. I certainly scratch my head. He’s probably a long way off. His performance was, in my opinion, at best extremely mediocre. Thus, yes, impoverished.
The fact that Byram did not come off the bench on Friday was possibly indicative. Daniel James and Crysencio Summerville patrolled the left flank after Daniel Farke decided to switch up his lineup after Firpo went off.
When we play our next game, hopefully Byram will be available again.Byram has the talent to compete as the Championship’s finest left-back, in Farke’s opinion. And against the Millers, it appeared as though Leeds missed the 30-year-old a lot.
Since it has been a while since he has had a string of winning games, Firpo shouldn’t be written off. However, there should be absolutely no doubt as to who should start on the left wing against Swansea if Byram is fit to go.
