Farke questioned for ‘Weird’ Guilavogui decision in Leeds win v Harrogate
Adam Pope has questioned Daniel Farke’s decision to start Josuha Guilavogui at centre-back for Leeds United in their FA Cup win against Harrogate Town on Saturday.
The Whites left Elland Road as 1-0 victors after what was a fairly disappointing display from the Championship leaders.
However, Guilavogui was handed his first start at Leeds by Farke and struggled in an unfamiliar position in the heart of defence.
Speaking on the Don’t Go To Bed Just Yet Podcast (14 January), BBC Leeds journalist Pope shared his thoughts on the performance of the Frenchman.
“Seeing Guilavogui in there [centre-back] was a bit weird, I felt that he looked uncomfortable at times, taking lots of little steps as he received the ball and it just didn’t look as natural for him as it does in midfield,” he said.
“Look, it’s his first start isn’t it and it’s been a while since he’s played any reasonable football I suppose but I thought of all the players, he looked the most uncomfortable.”
Josuha Guilavogui isn’t a first-team quality player for Leeds United
Guilavogui was brought in to be emergency cover for Farke’s squad and you have to admit that a lack of football since he was brought in probably accounted for an underwhelming display against League 2 opposition.
Indeed, both Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev are now back in action after their time on the sidelines so it feels unlikely that the 34-year-old will be called upon all that often, especially in central midfield.
Of course, Guilavogui did play in defence rather than his natural role of midfield but when he was on the ball, it felt like everything he did was in slow motion which allowed the opposition to read exactly what he was going to do.
The Frenchman can be a great mentor to the younger players but in terms of playing a full 90 minutes, it feels like he’d be better off sticking to his 10/20 minute end-of-game cameos.
At the moment, nothing is set in stone about his future but, especially if Leeds get promoted, it would be a surprise to see the Frenchman have his Elland Road stay extended after his performances.
In other Leeds news, Gelhardt is now at the Hull City training ground ahead of his loan deal to the Tigers.
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