LEEDS UNITED IN TURMOIL! Daniel Farke Makes SHOCK DECISION on Star After Explosive Dressing-Room Fallout
James joined Football FanCast in 2016 following a three-year spell working for Shoot Magazine, working his way up from freelance writer to editor, before moving across to GMS in 2020.
James has created exclusive, opinion and news content on GIVEMESPORT, with a predominant focus on the Premier League.
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Leeds United lost their unbeaten start to the season as they sacrificed a 2-0 lead to lose 6-3 to Chelsea in a nine-goal thriller in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night.
Leeds would have been hoping to advance to the next round of the cup when they made the trip to Stamford Bridge, but Daniel Farke decided to make eight changes to the team who drew 1-1 at Brighton and Hove Albion at the weekend.
Only Ethan Ampadu, James Justin and Tarik Muharemovic kept their places after the fixture at the Amex, while there were two full debuts for goalkeeper Michael Zetterer and full-back Melvin Bard.
It was a chance for both to stake their claim for a spot in Farke’s starting XI in the Premier League, but being part of a defence that conceded six goals wasn’t the ideal scenario for either player ahead of the league game against Newcastle United on Monday.
Zetterer joined the Yorkshire outfit from Eintracht Frankfurt in a deal worth €5m, to compete with James Trafford for the number one shirt at Elland Road.
Leeds looked like they had a great chance to try and match their run to the semi-finals of the FA Cup last season when they raced into a 2-0 lead in the capital, but four goals in the space of 12 second-half minutes for the hosts saw them turn the game on its head.
Speaking after the game, Farke was clearly unhappy with the award of the penalty in the 53rd minute, that ultimately changed the game.
A bit of a crazy game. Sometimes it happens when there is loads of changes.
“We played with confidence. There was not even a chance for them. Then the referee decided to give a penalty. Nobody was asking for it.
“All of a sudden, their players came into the game. The momentum was on their side. Situations can change the whole momentum of the game.”
Zetterer Fails to Take His Chance
Chelsea striker Danny Welbeck speaks with Leeds United goalkeeper Michael Zetterer Action Images via Reuters/Paul Childs
If Zetterer wanted to show Farke that he is on the same level as Trafford at Stamford Bridge, he ultimately failed in his mission.
According to FotMob, the 31-year-old was the worst player on the pitch with an overall rating of 4.0, with the next worst player being Daniel James, who picked up a 5.3 rating.
The experienced stopper will feel he could have done better with Cole Palmer’s second on the night, as well as Danny Welbeck’s goal, and knows he will need to show more when he next has his opportunity between the sticks.
Instead of giving Farke a conundrum, Zetterer has made his manager’s job easy after such a positive start in a Leeds shirt for £45m man Trafford.
Zetterer was always expected to be the back-up goalkeeper at Elland Road, given how much the Yorkshire outfit spent on the England international, but you also want your number two to push the first-choice stopper as much as possible.
With Leeds now out of the Carabao Cup, we may not see the German back between the sticks until the third round of the FA Cup in January, unless Trafford suffers an injury issue in the league.
portunity for the 31-year-old, and he will hope for an improved performance next time out.
