Was Alfonso Pedraza’s performance in Leeds’ win over Birmingham too good?

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Alfonso Pedraza was brilliant when he came on during Leeds United’s win over Birmingham on Friday.

Leeds’ Alfonso Pedraza celebrates scoring their third goal

There is no question that Alfonso Pedraza put in his best display in a Leeds shirt when he came on for the final 17 minutes of their victory over Birmingham City on Friday night. But was his performance almost too good to earn a starting spot?

Pedraza has previously treated Whites fans to glimpses of what he was capable of in the previous two games of his loan spell – he unleashed a vicious effort against Huddersfield on his debut and then went on some promising runs early on in the defeat to Cardiff – but this is arguably the first display where it was difficult to fault anything he did.

He was frequently seen supporting the defence and chasing after the ball as the home side continued to apply pressure, and he alleviated some of that pressure with some more exciting runs forward.

And of course, he was the one to round off the 3-1 victory with an exceptional finish with just under 10 minutes to go as he drilled the ball across the Blues goalkeeper into the far corner.

Leeds fans would certainly be forgiven for imploring Garry Monk to put him in the starting lineup for their next game against Fulham. And while he definitely deserves that chance based on the Birmingham performance and the struggles that his fellow wingers have endured, would it not be worth Monk remembering the old adage of if it isn’t broke, then don’t fix it?

Birmingham’s Robert Tesche in action with Leeds’ Alfonso Pedraza

Pedraza was given the perfect stage to make an impact as Birmingham began to tire and tried to camp themselves in the Leeds half as they chased an equaliser. That gave him the openings that he probably would not have had had he been playing from the first minute.

Of course, Monk would not be able to leave him out of the starting lineup for long if the Spaniard continued to make such an impression, but while he continues to adapt to the Championship, surely it may be worth continuing to use him as a wildcard option for the time-being and giving him the stage to potentially make the same devastating impact once again.