Karl Darlow is making a mockery of Daniel Farke decision after Leeds United heroics
Karl Darlow was impressive again in goal for Leeds United despite losing 1-0 to Manchester City on Saturday.
Although Leeds missed some gilt-edged chances at Elland Road against City, there were still plenty of positives to take from the encounter.
Daniel Farke‘s side went toe to toe with the Premier League’s most in-form team, and goalkeeper Darlow was excellent between the sticks again.
The Wales international has started 12 games for the Yorkshire outfit this term, but he has, largely, been second choice behind summer signing Lucas Perri, who has featured 16 times in the league.
As Leeds head into the final 10 matches of the season, with a six-point cushion over the relegation zone, the decision not to play Darlow earlier may start to look foolish.
Karl Darlow winning Leeds’ number one battle
Darlow joined Leeds from Newcastle United in 2023 as a back-up option to Illan Meslier, but for now, the 35-year-old is top of the goalkeeping pile at Elland Road.
According to FBRef, Darlow has a save percentage of 66.7 this season, whereas Brazilian stopper Perri is down at 60.3.
As per DataMB, before the City and Aston Villa games, Darlow had the third-best long pass accuracy in the Premier League at 69.18 per cent, ahead of the likes of Arsenal’s David Raya and Liverpool’s Alisson.
Moreover, the Sofascore graphic below shows that the Welshman made four saves against City, in addition to making three big saves at Villa Park on 21 February.
If Leeds do stay up, they may need to go back into the transfer market to sign a better keeper ahead of next season, as Perri has somewhat underwhelmed since his move from Lyon last July.
But for the time being, Darlow is proving to Farke that he can be a safe pair of hands for the run-in. The veteran has also made errors, including in Leeds’ 4-0 loss at home to Arsenal last month.
However, for the time being, Darlow deserves his starting spot. Incidentally, less than a year ago, he was behind Meslier as Leeds pushed for promotion from the Championship. How quickly things can change.
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Illan Meslier’s fall highlights Farke’s questionable selections
Leeds managed to win the Championship title on the final day of last season, chalking up 100 points in the process, despite a raft of errors from Meslier.
The Frenchman’s confidence has slowly sapped out of him in the past few seasons, starting with their relegation from the Premier League in 2023 to their two most recent campaigns in the Championship.
Last term, the France Under-21 international had a save percentage of 72.1 over 39 games, whereas Darlow’s was up at 75 in seven outings. Despite making poor errors against Sunderland, Swansea City, and more, Farke kept picking Meslier, even when his form did not merit it.
Finally, when Leeds’ promotion push was faltering, the German dropped Meslier for Darlow, and the latter was able to see them over the line. Fast forward to the present, and Meslier is now third choice at best and is playing for the under-21s.
On Saturday, the 25-year-old saved a penalty but could not stop his side falling to a 3-1 defeat. It is interesting to contrast Farke’s stubbornness in sticking with Meslier last season versus his readiness to drop Perri out of the team in the Premier League despite not dropping as many clangers.
Perhaps Farke has learned from his Meslier mistakes, along with feeling the pressure to stay in the English top-flight. The Frenchman is set to leave Elland Road this summer when his contract expires.
Now, Darlow is showing why Farke should have dropped Meslier and Perri earlier, as their careers go in opposite directions.
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