Wilfried Gnonto ‘not good enough’ after what he did in Leeds United loss v Millwall
Wilfried Gnonto was not good enough as Millwall took the lead in their FA Cup victory over Leeds United on Saturday.
Gnonto dallied on the ball deep in his half as he lost possession before Femi Azeez gave the away side the lead through a deflection in a 2-0 defeat at Elland Road.
Having seen Azeez double Millwall’s lead early in the second half, Gnonto almost redeemed himself by winning a penalty, but Pascal Struijk couldn’t convert from the spot.
Willy Gnonto called out for Leeds United v Millwall
Aidy White was far from happy watching along, with the Italian not doing himself any favours to get into the Championship side that is flying right now.
Speaking on commentary for BBC Radio Leeds (8 February, 12:45 pm), he said: “For me, sorry to say but Willy Gnonto’s got to do better there.
“When he’s received the ball, he’s had about four or five seconds to release it and play a simple pass – he’s held onto it, held onto it, and then three Millwall bodies are suddenly around him.
“He’s tried to dink it to Schmidt, with someone really up his backside, Gnonto and Schmidt are both out of position then. That all stems from just Willy Gnonto taking four or five seconds too long.”
Wilfried Gnonto fails to convince Daniel Farke at Leeds United
Farke’s go-to attacking midfield trio hasn’t featured Gnonto lately, with Brenden Aaronson his preferred option in the number 10 role as Manor Solomon and Dan James’ form makes them undroppable.
Gnonto, therefore, has been restricted to cameos off the bench as the Whites have embarked on their best run of the season so far, with Saturday’s FA Cup clash giving him the chance to stake a claim.
However, giving the ball away when he’d no need to do so – and that directly leading to a goal for the opposition – is no way for Gnonto to endear himself to Farke, and won’t have helped his chances.
Gnonto did hit back in the second half to look ever-dangerous in the final third and win the penalty which gave Struijk a chance to halve the deficit, but his end product wasn’t at the level required.
An Italian international being a bench option is a luxury that any and every other Championship side would absolutely dream of, but at present, Gnonto can’t seem to find his way back into contention.
A late-season flourish of form – as he pulled off last season – would be the ideal way for Gnonto to return to the fore at Elland Road, but based on his frustrating display against Millwall, a starting berth could still be some way off.