3 things Leeds United have clearly learnt following Saturday's 2-0 win v Cardiff City | OneFootball

FLW outline the three things Leeds United fans and Daniel Farke will have learnt following their 2-0 win over Cardiff.

Saturday afternoon saw Leeds United collect three points after they won 2-0 at the Championship’s bottom side, Cardiff City.

With the visitors already on top, the Bluebirds’ task of securing much-needed points for Erol Bulut was made more difficult when Joel Bagan was sent off after 23 minutes for a foul on Willy Gnonto on the edge of the box, with the referee deeming it to have denied a goalscoring opportunity.

Largie Ramazani’s composed finish from Mateo Joseph's wonderful flick then put Leeds in front just seven minutes later and, were it not for Cardiff goalkeeper Jak Alnwick, the away side could have been out of sight before the half-time interval.

Alnwick saved a poorly struck penalty from Pascal Struijk after the break, with Leeds struggling to find a way through to seal the points. However, a well-taken goal by substitute Joel Piroe eventually secured the victory from Brenden Aaronson's through-ball into the channel.

Leeds had created other chances prior to Piroe's late dagger, but neither Ramazani nor Aaronson took them, leaving many nervous about a ten-man Cardiff side snatching something until late on. The win lifts them back into the play-offs once more.

Here, we take a look at three things that have been learnt following the win in South Wales.

1 Jayden Bogle’s attacking contribution could be vital for Leeds

Although he was not always found down the right-hand channel, Jayden Bogle was one of Leeds’ best players and biggest outlets in the game. In recent fixtures, Leeds have not seen as much of his attacking upside, but Bogle’s attacking contribution was at its very best in Cardiff.

Per FBref, Bogle has created 1.5 xA (expected assists) worth of chances so far this season. Crucially, 0.8 of that figure came against Portsmouth, whereas 0.6 of it came against Cardiff — by far his two best games in a creative-sense. When Leeds are able to dominate their opponent, he is one of their biggest assets to stretch the pitch and also as a source of genuine productivity in the final third.

The switch ball was on for him on numerous occasions and he was desperately unlucky not to bag his first assist for the club when Aaronson placed a shot wide. However, the performance was important after Bogle came under some criticism for a few of his recent performances. Leeds fans want to see more of this side of his game than playing too deep where he is less involved in attacking play.

Of course, Ramazani’s contribution cannot be overlooked out wide. The winger came in and looked electric by providing speed and directness from the left. He scored and could have had another and showcased exactly why Leeds spent big on him during the summer. It highlighted that the depth and quality in the line of three behind Joseph is particularly strong.

However, getting the ball to them seems to be the primary issue for Farke. Leeds’ pivot players — Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev — were often safe and lacked urgency to kill Cardiff off from 1-0. Leeds are still struggling to break teams down who sit in and soak up pressure, and the Whites needed someone who could up the tempo and pass forwards to break lines.

Both Joe Rothwell, and in particular, Ao Tanaka, offered more in terms of ball progression late on. The latter completed 25 passes despite coming on in the 90th minute, which was nine more than any other Cardiff player in the whole match, and he could prove to be a real tempo setter long-term. His passes are punchier and provide more balance next to a deeper defensive-minded midfielder.

3 Farke’s loyalty and lack of substitutions at Leeds

If Farke is unwilling to switch things up tactically much, then one way Leeds can improve is by bringing on better profiles of player throughout their line-up. However, Farke’s loyalty to the team he chooses to start with remains an issue and a concern when considering the idea of overworking them or burning out. His subs could come much sooner than they are presently.

Piroe wasn’t introduced until the 84th minute and scored superbly within three minutes of that to finish off the game. That switch could have come much sooner to find the killer second goal which was proving to be elusive. Top teams are able to make positive changes regularly, as Ipswich did last season to great effect, and Farke must quickly learn to trust in more of his squad and depth, which is better than last season.

Tanaka’s late contribution, albeit in comfortable circumstances at 2-0, also proved he is deserving of more minutes. When games come thick-and-fast in the colder months, with injuries piling up, then rotation will be required over loyalty to players who are not performing at their best level. Gruev and Ampadu, for example, have similar profiles and Leeds need something different to provide more thrust.