“I think Cooper sets the tone with the first header of the game,” Pope (12m) remarked. Liam Cooper accomplished everything that was required of him, and I think that he and Rodon were fantastic in that regard.
“He had a minor cramp, but he should be fine. Struijk entered the game, which is incredible; it’s absurd, isn’t it?
“They’ve accomplished it, Rodon has fulfilled his role, and Archie Grey had some incredible moments during the match. And while I am sure we can all take blame for the goal, left-back was a major weak point.
“So that’s a massive, massive worry for me that now, and I never thought it would be as much of a worry but that’s huge, in the sense that Byram had kind of sorted it out.
“I was in denial two years ago thinking they don’t need to sign anyone. If Byram’s fit that’s great, that’s fine, but wow.”
Nothing new
Since joining Leeds United three summers ago after leaving Camp Nou, Firpo has been an obvious disappointment, making him an easy target.
He was only making his second appearance of the season after a lengthy injury layoff, thus it may be unfair to blame him for the lost points considering that he was predicted to perform well at this level after being “found out” in the Premier League.
His difficulties over the last few years have also not come as a surprise, since it has been clear that the Whites have been in need of a left-back for some time but have consistently failed to locate one.
Even Byram’s return for free in the summer was somewhat of a surprise, as he was ostensibly a right-sided player. Max Wober was deployed there for a brief period of time but was primarily a center-back.
The former Norwich City player has been a valuable addition, but considering his track record of availability since leaving Elland Road for the first time, it was always a risk if he was expected to be available for every game.
Although his 16 appearances to date are already more than many could have predicted, even a few absences would mean Firpo would be the next man up unless Farke felt that Jamie Shackleton was the only option.
The back line as a whole has been excellent, coming from some surprising places in particular, but even with Byram healthy, the left side remains the largest weakness, so a new addition in January is definitely not completely out of the question.