Leeds United changing tune example and post-game comments give hope for frustrated star

A prevailing narrative for the first half of Farke's first season at Elland Road was that Joel Piroe and Georginio Rutter should swap positions. Piroe was Farke's 10, operating more like a second striker who looked for opportunities in and around the edge of the box, and Rutter played as a 9. Though the Frenchman rarely interpreted the role in quite the same way that an out-and-out centre forward like Patrick Bamford would have, his mobility allowed him to press and he would routinely look to run in behind to make himself a target for long balls from Ethan Ampadu. Farke liked what he was getting from each man in their respective position and could point to good reason - Piroe scored nine in the first half of the campaign and Rutter claimed exactly that many assists.

But repeated external calls for the duo to swap, led by a belief that Piroe's finishing ability would make him a more natural fit for the 9 position and Rutter's unpredictability and knack for chance-creation would suit the central attacking midfield role, eventually got to Farke. At the start of October, he spent 13 minutes patiently and politely explaining why he played them where he did.

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At the start of January things changed. Farke changed his mind, on Rutter at least. Patrick Bamford returned to full fitness and came into the side to play as the 9 and Farke finally felt he could trust Rutter in behind him. He cited Rutter's improved hold-up play and a greater understanding of the responsibilities attached to the position. Bamford and Rutter contributed significantly to a three-month unbeaten run, the former firing in seven goals and the latter a further six assists. What happened after the March international break has been raked over sufficiently and will be again should it repeat this season but no matter who was playing where, the attacking central output diminished problematically. Rutter had no goals or assists in the final eight games, Bamford scored once in that time - missing two games through injury - and Piroe claimed two goals and an assist. The point stands, however, that Farke's initial doubt over a player's ability to fill the number 10 role gave way to a new-found reassurance that he could be trusted.

This season Brenden Aaronson has been Leeds United's number 10, occupying the position in the starting line-up for the last 36 games in a row. There have been calls at various points for him to be replaced by someone else and of the suggested candidates Willy Gnonto's name has been heard the most often. Farke himself has even talked about the possibility but never given it much of a try beyond the Millwall FA Cup game when 10 changes robbed Leeds of their fluidity and momentum. Just one goal in the 14 games since the turn of the year is the stark statistic around which the calls for Aaronson to be dropped and Gnonto to be introduced have grown more vociferous. Beyond that goal in the 7-0 rout of Cardiff City, Aaronson has not contributed any assists and his confidence has visibly waned. Last week he learned he had lost his place in the US Men's National Team squad and on Saturday at QPR he set up the home team's first goal with a lapse in concentration. At half-time Farke withdrew the American and sent Gnonto on in his place.

It was a nice turn and pass from the Italian that led to Leeds' equaliser and he was a bright spark in what was often a dull performance from the visitors. Farke admitted after the game it was a change he had been considering prior to the game.

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"I was thinking a bit [about this change], although [Gnonto] has perhaps not that much convinced on number 10 position," said the Leeds boss. "We have played him one or two times already there, and Millwall in the cup was not the best outcome. But the feeling is he's also learning a bit more and more to create good situations in the center, and this was what he did in the second half, perhaps not with this pressing load anyhow, but he played a decisive pass before we equalised and it was a good performance. Thank God he has delivered what I was hoping for."

Farke, on the evidence of his Leeds tenure, is not a man to be too easily swayed by 45 minutes of action and one decisive pass that led to a goal, but what he said later in his post-match press conference suggested there is more to the debate in his mind. The tune might be changing to one in Gnonto's favour. Farke contradicted himself slightly over his earlier statement regarding Gnonto convincing at 10, laid bare the worries that he would have in taking Aaronson's workrate out of the team but revealed a desire to see more of the Italian international in a central role.

"I wouldn't say he has not convinced as a 10, the problem for him is more less he has never really played as a number 10 in a possession side," said Farke. "He always played as a winger or in his early years as a striker. And also his physical output is different - we can't afford in the center to cover not enough distance in the pressing. And it's the heart of the game. You have to be capable to shift and to run and to start the pressure. And if you then perhaps the setup with the two number sixes are ballers and not defensive machines, then you can't afford an old school number 10 who is just standing and waiting 'till he gets the ball.

"He's improving a lot because he is improving his endurance and also to be more involved in the games. I also like his potential in this position. He has played a few times there, in the cup game against Millwall and of course, I don't expect that he cuts the world into pieces if he's more or less the first time in his career playing his role, but we don't have that many specialists in this position. "So for that, yes, we've also played Joel in this position. And also want to try more and more Willy in this position. I would say this 45 minutes were by far his best spell in this position. I'm happy that he adapts to this position."

The latter part of that statement is what might resonate most with Gnonto as a frustrating season on an individual level turns the corner towards the finishing straight. Only 20 of his 35 Championship appearances have been starts and the main man role that was expected to be there for him this season has not materialised, due principally to the form of Manor Solomon and Daniel James. But given how the last eight games of last season went for Leeds and their central attackers, in a run that contributed mightily to the death of their automatic promotion hopes, Farke will be hyper-aware of the need to come out of the March international break with the offence singing from the hymn sheet that put them top. Gnonto's moment to make himself a big noise might finally have arrived.