Leeds United winger Noah Okafor came to Elland Road with a lot of expectation on him. The club only managed to recruit three attacking players that summer, so the pressure was on.
His first few months were difficult as he tried to adapt to English football.
Daniel Farke had to bench him and ease him back into the first team. Okafor responded by playing very well in training before coming back into the starting lineup as the season progressed.
His performances in the second half of the campaign were very impressive.
The Leeds star’s form from February played a big part in the team’s success. Noah Okafor played so well that he worked his way back into the Switzerland team ahead of the World Cup.
Leeds United star in firing line after manager’s comments
The Leeds United man previously had a falling out with the Switzerland coach and technical team.
This saw him left out of the national team fold for years. But he reconciled things last year, and was selected in the final squad for this World Cup.
However, things have not gone smoothly for Okafor.
The winger got his first minutes in the fourth game of the tournament, coming off the bench. In the game against Algeria, he gave the ball away cheaply in the second half.
This sparked a reaction from Switzerland boss Murat Yakin, who kicked a bottle on the touchline in frustration.
After the game, he explained why he was out of sorts on the touchline – with the Leeds star subtly blamed for the incident.
“It’s not the bottle’s fault,” he said to Blick.
“I wasn’t happy with our defensive organisation in the last ten minutes. We gave the ball away far too easily, at times when it wasn’t necessary. That gave our opponents chances again.”
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Noah Okafor is walking a thin line once again
Switzerland are in great form and have managed to make the round of 16 after beating Algeria.
The team is playing well and everyone is contributing. So Okafor’s admission that he wanted more playing time would not have gone down really well around the team, even if he reiterated that he was ready to be called upon.
Following that up with a flat display against Algeria when the coach trusted you will not go down well.
From now till when Switzerland are eventually out of the competition, the winger will have to be at his absolute best. Voicing your frustrations about playing time is not a bad thing, but you must be ready to back it up on the pitch.
The Leeds star has turned a corner since arriving in England, and hopefully he continues on that tangent.
