Leeds: Rodrigo flopped vs Southampton | OneFootball

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Football FanCast

·17 October 2021

Leeds: Rodrigo flopped vs Southampton

Article image:Leeds: Rodrigo flopped vs Southampton

Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds United dropped to 17th in the Premier League table on Saturday as they lost 1-0 to Southampton at St. Mary’s as Armando Broja scored the winning goal.

The Argentine’s side are now on six points after eight Premier League matches, with one win, three draws and four defeats as it stands.


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The Whites started the game without key players Kalvin Phillips, Patrick Bamford and Raphinha, with all three of them missing out on the matchday squad.

Bamford’s absence left a gaping hole at the top end of the pitch as Rodrigo came in as the starting number nine and failed to make a positive impact on the game. The Spaniard was handed an opportunity to come in and show Bielsa that he has the quality to be a reliable option for him in that area of the pitch, but ultimately let the boss down badly.

Was Rodrigo disappointing?

Yes

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No

Article image:Leeds: Rodrigo flopped vs Southampton

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Rodrigo lasted 64 minutes on the pitch before the head coach decided to haul him off, with it abundantly clear that he was not having the desired effect up front. He did not fill Bamford’s boots, so to speak, and that should concern fans as the ex-Chelsea forward remains out injured, having missed two games prior to the international break.

Offensively, the former Valencia man offered nothing. Per SofaScore, he managed zero shots, zero key passes and failed with both of his attempted dribbles. He also completed 11 passes in the entire game as he had 22 touches of the ball, fewer than Illan Meslier’s 57 touches between the sticks for the Whites.

Against the ball, Rodrigo was a liability. Per SofaScore, the forward lost 85.7% of his duels on the pitch as he was bested in six of his seven battles. He also made one tackle, whilst failing to make a single block, interception or clearance, and was dribbled past once. This suggests that he was weak defensively and was unable to impose himself physically against the Saints defence.

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Therefore, the flop was poor all-around and let Bielsa down badly as he struggled offensively and defensively throughout the match before being taken off in the second half. If Bamford remains out for Leeds’ clash with Wolves next weekend, this performance could hinder the Spaniard’s chances of retaining his place at the tip of the attack.

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