Elland Road can be a daunting place for opposition teams to travel to, as Nuno Espirito Santo’s West Ham United found out the hard way on Friday night.
Leeds United’s famous home ground was rocking after Daniel Farke’s Whites had fired home two goals inside the opening 15 minutes, with a late Mateus Fernandes effort from the away side not enough to rid the hosts of their second home win in the Premier League this season so far.
Now, Farke’s men have three games on the road in November against tough outfits such as Brighton and Hove Albion and Manchester City, making it intriguing to see where the West Yorkshire outfit lies in the early standings after all their traveling next month.
The German will hope Sean Longstaff continues to perform in these pressurised situations, with the former Newcastle United midfielder proving to be a steal already, after his services were secured for a modest £12m this summer.
Longstaff's impressive Leeds performances
It shouldn’t come as the greatest shock, though, that Longstaff is well-equipped with what it takes to be a success in the Premier League, having accumulated 171 top-flight appearances on the books of the Magpies.
Still, he wasn’t always appreciated at St James’ Park, as the Newcastle-born star often faded into the background. In West Yorkshire, however, he’s one of Farke’s leading men so far this season, with the 27-year-old even picking up Leeds’ Player of the month accolade for September.
He was a deserving winner, too, with Longstaff’s chance creation total for the season already coming in at a whopping 17, which is only eclipsed by Manchester United stalwart Bruno Fernandes.
The ex-Tyneside prodigy has a healthy tally of one goal and two assists next to his name in league action, subsequently.
But, it isn’t just in an attacking capacity where the well-rounded midfielder shines, with an impressive five duels also won on average across his nine top-flight outings in Leeds’ white, backing up previous claims by Magpies great Alan Shearer that Longstaff is an “unbelievable” talent.
It has even led to shouts that Longstaff is “one of the best signings in the PL”, period, according to journalist Daniel Storey. However, there could be an even more important part of the jigsaw at the ex-Norwich City boss’s disposal in this exciting attacking star.
Leeds United's most important player
There are arguments all over the pitch surrounding who could be Leeds’ most important cog, with Joe Rodon surely a front-runner in this regard, as the no-nonsense Welshman headed home another goal last time out to steer the Whites to a 2-1 win.
Yet, if Rodon were to go down with an injury, Farke at least has Pascal Struijk he can fall back on. Likewise, suppose Longstaff were to fall victim to a knock himself. In that case, the promotion-winning manager also has the likes of Ilia Gruev in reserve, alongside knowing that Ethan Ampadu and Ao Tanaka will do a sterling job in being equally lively and combative if needed.
Unfortunately, Farke isn’t quite so blessed with the same levels of depth in attack, with Brenden Aaronson having to fill in as a right-wing option against the Hammers, which he did so effortlessly. Thankfully, Leeds haven’t had to rely on a ropey Jack Harrison too much this season on the opposing left channel, as Noah Okafor has got up and running in the Premier League without much trouble.
The Swiss international – who had European pedigree already coming into the building with the likes of AC Milan – has been a breath of fresh air down the left as a direct, gung-ho option, with journalist Oscar Mario claiming that Okafor is Leeds’ “most important player” as he “raises everyone else’s game around him” by being a “class difference maker.”
Games played
6
Games started
5
Minutes played
353 mins
Goals scored
2
Assists
0
Indeed, at the very start of the season, it looked as if Leeds were going to struggle to be a front-foot side on their return to the challenging Premier League.
However, with Okafor constantly bombing down the left – as seen in his incredible six successful dribbles against Wolverhampton Wanderers in September – Leeds look less likely to retreat into their shell and potentially accept their relegation fate. It also helps that he has an end product to show for all his quick darts forward so far, with two strikes already next to his name.
It will be a full team effort that ensures Leeds don’t fall straight back down to the Championship, but with Farke already dropping a Leeds mainstay in Dan James for Okafor, he will surely be a key player between now and May rolling around.