After Leeds beat Rovers 2-1 at Elland Road, can Leeds take that determination in to their game away at Cardiff on Saturday lunchtime?
Leeds United beat Blackburn Rovers 2-1 at Elland Road in the Championship on Tuesday evening thanks to goals from Chris Wood and Kyle Bartley.
Substitute Wood had put Leeds ahead after fine work down the right wing from Hadi Sacko, before Marvin Emnes equalised.
But it was the on-loan Bartley who settled the tie when he headed home a free-kick from Alex Mowatt to give Leeds their first win at Elland Road this season, and ease the pressure on manager Garry Monk.
But while the win was exactly what Monk needed, he will need that kind of performance from his players again when his side face Cardiff City on Saturday afternoon.
It was clear that against Blackburn Leeds needed a win in what was seen as a crunch game for the Leeds manager. Monk has been under increasing pressure, and with Leeds not having won at home since the middle of April, this was viewed by many, including Monk, as a ‘must win’ game.
The victory helped Leeds climb out of the bottom three and piled more misery on Blackburn, who remain rooted to the foot of the table without a win. This was by no stretch of the imagination a vintage performance, and whilst there were a number of performances that stood out, others were missing in action. But Leeds showed a fight and determination they will have to repeat over the course of the season.
BBC Sports reports that, speaking after the game about his team’s performance, Monk said: “We’ve had a frustrating few games here at Elland Road where we’ve been disappointed. The character tonight was excellent, that’s what stood out for me.
“As well as other things. Some good quality football, good style, the way we’ve played. Even without the ball I thought we were excellent. But the character shone through, that sheer will to win. It was right there to the very end.”
Monk was right. Leeds did show character and they did show a determination, particularly in fighting for the winner late on, but his side will face much tougher tests than Blackburn.
One of the issues facing Monk for the upcoming game against Cardiff is where Pablo Hernandez fits in. Leeds signed the former Swansea man after agreeing an initial six month loan with Qatari side Al-Arabi, but there have been issues around where the player best fits into the team and system. Against Blackburn, Hernandez played as a number ten in a 4-2-3-1 system, but was mainly anonymous.
But while there is confusion over whether Hernandez will fit in to a favoured Monk formation, there is not the same problem with Sacko.
Sacko was involved in all that was good for Leeds against Blackburn, and was at the heart of their wide play, with the winger repeatedly getting the better of Blackburn full-back Derrick Williams. The only sore point was that Sacko did not get the goal he deserved, despite wasting golden a wonderful chance to put Leeds 3-1 up in time added on.
But what is apparent is that Leeds need to build upon this win to really kick-start their season. So far the league campaign has failed to get out of first gear and Monk’s side need that fire to get them started.
Against Blackburn enough was shown about the potential of this side, and with Wood likely to return to the starting line-up sooner rather than later, there remains plenty of reasons for fans to be excited at Elland Road, with the possibility that it may just happen at Cardiff on Saturday lunchtime.
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