Micah Richards baffled by what Jan Bednarek did as Leeds United beat Southampton
Micah Richards has slammed the defending of Jan Bednarek in the build-up to Junior Firpo’s goal for Leeds United in the 1-0 win over Southampton.
New Leeds manager Javi Gracia got off to a winning start at Elland Road on Saturday (25 February) and moved his side out of the Premier League relegation zone thanks to the 26-year-old’s second-half goal.
After working the ball smartly down the wing, the left-back found himself in space in the box and slotted his strike under Saints keeper Gavin Bazuno, but when analysing the passage of play on Match of the Day, BBC Sport pundit Richards was heavily critical of the defending by centre-back Bednarek.
He said (Saturday, 25 February, 54:40): “I want to break it down from a defensive point of view. Southampton here don’t think he’s [Summerville] going to get out of that space, but he gets out of the tight space.
“But if you just pause it, they’ve got four defenders versus two [Leeds attackers]. Bednarek has to come across and help out his players. He doesn’t, he waits, and he stands in front of the goalkeeper.
“I understand what he is trying to do. When I used to play in front of goalkeepers, they always used to say if someone was going to have a shot, don’t put your foot out because they don’t want any deflections, so the goalkeeper can read where the ball is going to go.
“But he’s blocking the line of the goalkeeper, I don’t understand what he was doing there.”
Terrible
Richards is correct to highlight the horrific defending from the Saints in the build-up to Leeds’ goal, with a number of players culpable for the game’s only goal.
But overall, Gracia’s side were the more proactive out of the two and subsequently rewarded for their efforts with three huge points. For Firpo, this has to be the moment that he finally kick-starts his Leeds career.
In recent weeks he has finally begun to look like the player the Whites thought they were getting from Barcelona, and with the backing of Gracia, he could yet fulfil his pricetag.
These remain very early days for both player and manager, and far sterner examinations will surely wait in store for Leeds. However, a first league win since 6 November and a position outside the relegation zone will do for now.
Despite the win, a tough run of games awaits the new manager, with fixtures against Chelsea, Brighton and Arsenal all waiting in the club’s next four league games.
In other Leeds United news, the Spanish media has reacted to Gracia’s first win as Leeds manager.
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