Josuha Guilavogui was expected to get his first start of the season against Harrogate Town and he did. However, he was taken out of his comfort zone in midfield and was placed in central defence against the League Two side in the third round of the FA Cup. It was his opportunity to impress Daniel Farke and make a case for more game time and while Leeds won 1-0, the 34-year-old struggled and sometimes found it hard to deal with the Harrogate forwards. The Frenchman didn’t play well enough to suggest that Farke will think about him when he names his starting eleven against Sheffield Wednesday on Sunday.
It was not the best of performances against the League Two side but Leeds got the job done at Elland Road on Saturday evening and are in the fourth round of the FA Cup.
Farke, as per expectations, fielded a heavily rotated team as he sought to give some of his best players while ensuring that the team were good enough to win and progress in the competition.
Guilavogui has been waiting for his start since joining the club in October on a free transfer. He finally got his chance against Harrogate Town but was fielded as Pascal Struijk’s centre-back partner.
He looked shaky at the heart of the Leeds defence, and due to his experience over the years, more would have been expected of him against a League Two side.
The Frenchman’s performance suggested that Farke would not be considering him to start games any time soon as long as his top players remain fit for the rest of the season.
Josuha Guilavogui produced a shaky and insecure performance
Leeds did manage to get the job done and several fringe players caught the attention with a solid performance against Harrogate in the third round of the FA.
However, a couple of players also showed why they haven’t been getting the opportunities to play regularly for Leeds in the ongoing season.
Josuha Guilavogui is one of the players who squandered his chance to show Farke that he deserves more opportunities to start games for Leeds in the second half of the season.
Granted that he played in an unfamiliar position in central defence but he was up against League Two players and his experience should have been enough to look more secure.
The Harrogate forwards constantly troubled the Frenchman at Elland Road and he looked shaky and insecure at the heart of the Leeds defence whenever Harrogate mounted some form of attack.
On another night, Guilavogui could have conceded a penalty and his performance showed why he is not seen as anything more than a squad player at Leeds at this stage of the season.
He will be back on the bench on Sunday when Sheffield Wednesday visit Elland Road for the local Yorkshire derby in the Championship.
He has no long-term future at Leeds
Guilavogui was signed in October on a free transfer as Leeds suddenly found themselves short in midfield due to injuries to Ilia Gruev and Ethan Ampadu.
Ao Tanaka and Joe Rothwell stepped up amidst the injury crisis and ensured that Leeds didn’t either of the two players until Ampadu returned to the team last month.
The French midfielder hardly got a look in then and with the midfield now looking well-stock, there is very little chance of him starting games in the latter half of the season.
The performance against Harrogate Town further outlined why Farke placed his trust in other players over the veteran midfielder so far this season.
His contract will be up at the end of the season and barring a minor miracle, he is not going to get an offer of an extension from Leeds in the coming months.
He was brought in as cover during an emergency and it seems clear now that he was never good enough to be in the Leeds starting eleven.
