Leeds United must recreate Rory Delap fear factor with Raphinha’s weapon
Leeds United face the unenviable task of trying to stop the Manchester City juggernaut this weekend as the Citizens chase back-to-back Premier League titles.
They are currently one point ahead of Liverpool knowing that one tiny slip up will see the trophy head back to Merseyside for the second time in three seasons.
Jesse Marsch’s Whites have every chance to cause the upset that swings the tide tomorrow and they could have a new secret weapon to utilise after what the boss said yesterday.
“We had a contest in training, because I asked if anyone had a long throw, and they all said ‘No’,” Marsch said, as quoted by the Yorkshire Post.
“I said, ‘Someone in here does,’ and I said, ‘My money’s on Raphinha’ – and he did. It was dangerous. We’ll probably use it more in the future.”
It’s not the prettiest of ways to win a game of football but you can’t really beat Manchester City while trying to play cute football that looks good on the highlight reel.
What they can do is unleash the most feared tactic in the history of the Premier League we first saw in full effect when Stoke burst onto the scene.
You can’t forget the looks in the eyes of the opposition when they saw Rory Delap was wiping down the ball with a towel at the side of the pitch ready to hurl a missile into the area.
Teams were genuinely terrified of the potent long throw and aerial prowess of that Tony Pulis Stoke team and if Raphinha has anything close to that in his locker, then Marsch must make it integral to his plans.
With Delap’s son Liam in the City academy setup at the moment, and scoring plenty as a striker, this could be the perfect chance to trial it against the DNA of the man who revolutionised the skill.
If it doesn’t work, then oh well, at least they tried. This isn’t a game anyone expects the Whites to win which is why Marsch must experiment with this potential weapon he has in his armoury.
In other Leeds United news, Robbie Savage has made a surprising claim in regards to the Premier League survival race and sees one outcome as “not impossible.”