Leeds United have made a good start to the season, and are now looking to consolidate their position in the league table. They have looked more competitive than promoted teams of recent years, and are being backed to survive in the top flight at the end of the campaign.
With eight points from their opening six league games, Leeds have made a good start to life back in the Premier League and have looked resilient and tough to beat in the early part of the season.
Several of their new signings, such as Anton Stach, Sean Longstaff, and Gabriel Gudmundsson, have made an impact with their performances, making Leeds look more competitive in the top flight.
However, some of the old guard have also come to the fore at Elland Road, with Joe Rodon emerging as a defensive stalwart at the back, alongside Pascal Struijk, for Leeds.
Joe Rodon has something to prove against Tottenham in Leeds United colours
Tottenham signed Joe Rodon from Swansea in 2020, but the Welshman hardly got a run in the team with the north London club.
He made just 24 appearances for Spurs and even had a loan spell at Rennes before joining Leeds in 2023 on a loan deal, before joining permanently last year for a deal worth £11m.
The Welshman was one of the top centre-backs in the Championship, and his durability at Elland Road has been astounding.
He has missed just one game due to an injury since he joined Leeds, and his performances at the start of the season show he is coming into his own in the Premier League.
Rodon will face Tottenham for the first time since leaving the club on Saturday, and he will have something to prove against a club that deemed him not good enough for the Premier League.
However, Farke insisted that the Welshman has nothing to prove and indicated that he was at Tottenham during the wrong time.
The Leeds boss emphasised that he has developed significantly over the past two years and has already proven he has the quality to succeed in the Premier League.
“Yes, if it’s his opinion, then he should also be right. I can’t say, no, Joe, you don’t have anything to prove. It’s not like he already has 200 Premier League games under his belt or has performed and excelled on this level outstanding over the years”, Farke said in a press conference.
“Of course, it’s a bit naturally a bit more difficult to come into his side Tottenham when they were they signed him, they were more or less playing the Champions League final, or at least not too long after it. So, of course, it’s naturally a bit more difficult perhaps to come as a relatively young centre-back who was signed from the Championship straight away into the starting line-up.
“Meanwhile, he’s much more mature, he’s grown also as a player, also as a person with his personality. I think he’s a way better player than he was perhaps three years ago.
“And for that, I think… he has proven in the first games that even on this level, he can perform on a top-top level. But again, also the message to show this consistency, not just over a few weeks, a few months. It’s important to show this over the whole course of the season. This is more or less also the challenge for Joe right now. So far, so good. I think he has played excellently so far.”
Farke wants Rodon to score more goals
The Welshman scored his first goal of the season in Leeds’ 2-2 draw against Bournemouth at Elland Road, and it earned him a spot in the BBC Team of the Week.
The Leeds boss admitted that he has moaned about Rodon not scoring enough goals, and believes he is now learning to get into those positions during set-pieces.
He believes Rodon has grown as a defender, particularly in making an impact inside the opposition penalty area.
The Leeds manager said: “I also like that he adds more and more to be a goal threat also in terms of set pieces, something I’ve always moaned about, and it was on his back anyhow a little bit to score more goals, a player of his strength with that. He should do this a bit more, and he’s threatening the opponent’s goal more and more in the last weeks and months.
“I have to say, he also develops in these terms.
“There’s always space for improvement, but he’s on a good path also to prove his point, yes.”
Can you name these 10 former Leeds United midfielders?
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