Leeds United: Daniel Farke must take decisive Daniel James action at half-time v Watford
Leeds United manager Daniel Farke gambled by selecting Daniel James for the Championship clash with Watford on Friday (29 March).
The winger was selected in the injury absence of Willy Gnonto, just three days on from missing the decisive penalty as Wales lost to Poland.
That penalty miss would have had a huge psychological impact on James, but Farke decided to throw him straight into the XI at Vicarage Road.
On the basis of the opening 45 minutes, however, that decision has backfired and Farke may well be considering a change at the interval.
Crysencio Summerville strike not enough for Leeds
Leeds went into half-time 2-1 behind as Vakoun Bayo and Emmanuel Dennis scored either side of Crysencio Summerville’s sensational strike.
Summerville’s moment of brilliance only highlighted what was a weak display from James – who has been superb for Leeds this season – on the other flank.
James had just 14 touches of the ball in the first half at Vicarage Road, which was the second-fewest of any visiting player behind only Patrick Bamford (eight) [Sofascore].
Summerville, by comparison, had 30 touches on the left-hand side and just looked for more of a threat in general.
James also attempted just eight passes, two of which he misplaced, while his only cross failed to find a team-mate.
Willy Gnonto injury timeframe revealed
Even without Gnonto in the squad, which will be the case for at least another couple of weeks, Farke still has other options in the wide areas.
Jaidon Anthony is chomping at the bit and looked a good bet to start having had two weeks on the training ground to prepare for this match.
Joel Piroe is another attacker desperate for minutes and fully fit, albeit he is not a winger, so the decision to go with a clearly not-at-it James was surprising.
If Farke does not turn to his bench at the interval, James will have to make an impact in the early stages of the second period or else the inevitable will happen.
In other Leeds United news, Farke may soon have a Kalvin Phillips 2.0 to call upon at Elland Road.
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