Swansea v Leeds United prediction made after what ‘warrior’ Joe Rodon did
Adam Pope predicted “warrior” Joe Rodon will be able to keep fellow Welshman Liam Cullen at bay when Leeds United visit Swansea City on Saturday.
Rodon and Cullen have been team-mates over the past couple of weeks while on Wales duty but will go up against one another at the Swansea Stadium (23 November).
The first of Wales’ games over the international break, a 0-0 draw with Turkiye, saw Rodon play on with a bandage after a nasty head injury.
Writing for the BBC Sport website (20 November), Pope shared his thoughts on how well Rodon is likely to handle Cullen.
“Last season Cullen was on the wrong end of 3-1 and 4-0 scorelines,” he wrote.
“As familiar as he may be to many on Sunday, Cullen knows he will have a job on to not only compete with, but overcome a defence which includes the likes of Joe Rodon.
“The warrior centre-back refused to be bowed by a cut to his head in the goalless draw in Turkey. A week on, he will be keeping a keen eye on a rejuvenated Cullen as Leeds try to ensure a 10th Championship clean sheet.”
Joe Rodon has been one of the best signings Leeds United made in summer
It was evident to most fans and pundits alike how pivotal Rodon was to Daniel Farke’s set-up last term but few could have predicted how strong of a partnership he’d form with Pascal Struijk.
Indeed, Leeds’ fans did get a glimpse of this before the Dutchman was ruled out with injury last season but it feels like the duo have come on leaps and bounds since the last campaign.
Farke introduced a fair amount of new faces to Elland Road in the summer but it’s hard to deny how impactful the Welshman’s arrival has been.
The likes of Largie Ramazani and Manor Solomon were both brought in and while they’ve had their odd moments of class this season, Rodon has been one of the West Yorkshire outfit’s best players in almost every game.
Farke was smart to bring him to West Yorkshire as early into the window as he did and it could be a decision that regains Leeds’ Premier League status if things continue going as they’ve started.
In other Leeds news, Graeme Bailey has named the condition that the Whites would need to meet so that they can sign Josh Brownhill.
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