Firpo ‘taken to the cleaners’ by Blackburn after Farke angry at Leeds absence
Junior Firpo was slated by Jon Newsome for his performance on his return to the Leeds United XI after suspension in the 1-0 loss at Blackburn Rovers.
The left-back had missed the last three games his side played, after receiving a retrospective ban for violent conduct after an incident with Danny McNamara in the 1-0 defeat to Millwall on 6 November.
Manager Daniel Farke was infuriated at everyone involved [Yorkshire Post], but he still restored the Dominican Republic international to the lineup in place of the injured Sam Byram for the trip to Ewood Park on Saturday (30th November).
Leeds though, fell behind to a Todd Cantwell penalty in that game, which was won by winger Tyrhys Dolan after he had broken into the area from Firpo’s left-hand side of defence.
It was an occurrence that happened regularly during the first-half, with the Blackburn man often getting the better of Firpo, which did not impress Newsome.
Speaking on BBC Radio Leeds after one such incident, the former Whites midfielder said (14:05): “I was just looking at Firpo’s reaction, what’s he going to do? You’ve got Tyrhys Dolan on this right-hand side taking him to the cleaners at the moment.
“You’ve had three weeks off, the manager’s not too impressed with how you were suspended. You’ve got to come in and make your mark and so far the right-winger is showing you a clean pair of heels.”
A tough return to Leeds United action for Junior Firpo
Football Insider Opinion
It was not an easy return to the starting lineup for Farke’s side for Firpo in Lancashire against Blackburn.
With the home side looking dangerous on a number of occasions during the first half in particular, it was his position they exploited the most to pose that threat.
Given the frustration that surrounded his suspension he would surely have been hoping to make amends for the Whites straight away on his return to the side at Ewood Park.
However, he did not exactly do that, with the number of times he was beaten by Dolan putting plenty of pressure on the rest of his defence.
That will have been particularly disappointing for the left-back, given he has previously enjoyed some excellent form this season for both club and country.
There are others who could step into that role for Leeds as well, so Firpo will be hoping to get over his early showing against Blackburn as quickly as possible.
His game improved in the second half but it wasn’t enough to help Farke’s side from avoiding an unwelcome defeat to dent their charge for the top of the table, as Cantwell could have had a hat-trick.
In other news, Paul Robinson has backed Leeds United to sign a Brighton player.
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