Joe Rodon cannot make same mistake at Leeds United after Wales moment
Leeds United defender Joe Rodon, who joined the club on a season-long loan deal from Tottenham over the summer, almost cost Wales the game against South Korea on Thursday 07 September.
In an otherwise unremarkable 0-0 draw in the friendly between Wales and South Korea, one moment of interest came when Rodon’s attempt to play out from the back resulted in an opportunity for the away side.
BBC Radio Wales commentators Nathan Blake and Simon Church called for Rodon to “play ugly” and “just get rid”, describing his decision to play short as “sloppy” and joking that he owed teammate Connor Roberts a pint for his defensive intervention.
Rodon was lucky that his mistake didn’t lead to a goal, trying to play the ball short while under pressure which ultimately resulted in a half-chance, but it could have been more had his teammate Roberts not been on hand to intervene.
These types of errors cannot be afforded at Leeds, where any error in a game could cost valuable points in their push to earn promotion to the Premier League this season.
A similar mistake was seen from another new arrival at Elland Road in Ilia Gruev, where a header back to his goalkeeper fell short and was intercepted, leading to his Bulgaria side losing 1-0 to Iran.
Leeds players making these kinds of sloppy mistakes while on international duty doesn’t bode well for the Yorkshire side, although it will be hoped that they can get these types of errors out of their systems while on international duty before returning to Elland Road.
Rodon’s poor decision and sloppy pass as a result of trying to play out from the back could give Daniel Farke something to think about. The centre-back is usually assured on the ball – one of the reasons Leeds moved to bring him in – but if mistakes start adding up then questions will be asked.
In other Leeds United news, an update has been shared on the future of a Leeds player who was linked with a move away.