Championship: Sol Bamba tribute; Five key battles in Cardiff City vs Leeds Utd clash
Typically in these five key battles pieces we begin with a breakdown of the recent forms of both sides and establish the field of play before moving on to the on-pitch game changers.
However, this week, Sports News Blitz’s Samuel Leasley would like to dedicate this opening to the memory of Sol Bamba and share some of his memories of the man as a Leeds fan.
He says…
What you saw is what you got with Sol Bamba. He arrived at Elland Road during an incredibly tedious period for the club with our side changing every summer with 11-15 new faces, most of which would be gone by the following season.
But with Sol it was different, he didn’t arrive just purely for a paycheck, he arrived to fight.
Every tackle, every header, every 50-50 he was first to it and was willing to put his body on the line for the fans.
After only six months he was made club captain and further endeared himself to the fanbase by not being afraid to criticise then club owner Massimo Cellino, who seemingly lacked any positive form of communication with players or supporters.
It was not just his on-pitch persona that showcased the supporters of his incredible nature, but his off-field antics too.
He was ever smiling, ever positive and ever caring for every fan who met him and every player he played with.
Very few players in the modern game carry themselves or command as much respect as what Sol received and deserved.
He will be greatly, greatly missed and both sides will pay tribute to an incredible man who has been taken from us far too soon.
Now it’s time to consider five key battles for a possibly season-defining clash for Daniel Farke’s Whites at the Cardiff City Stadium.
Daniel Farke vs Erol Bulut
This managerial clash sees two managers under scrutiny by fan bases with differing ambitions for their final league position.
Daniel Farke enters this fixture under pressure following a 1-0 home defeat to Burnley, in which the Whites held the majority of the possession yet could not break down a stubborn Clarets defence and lost their first league game of the season.
This defeat can be seen as avoidable particularly to Farke himself after individual mistakes were the catalyst for both Leeds’ inability to score and conceding on the counter.
Mateo Joseph missed a glaring chance in the opening minute when through on goal which would’ve given the Whites a precious early advantage, yet it was Manor Solomon’s slip that opened the door for Luca Koleosho to sprint half the length of the field and place the dagger in the hearts of the on-looking South Stand.
Brendan Aaronson, the crucial chess piece in Farke’s tactical system, struggled to influence the game effectively, being devoid of space when facing the back 11 Burnley deployed after taking the lead.
This same defensive stubbornness also prevented Leeds’ wide men from making effective in-roads and eventually most attacks petered out.
Farke will be looking for his attacking fortunes to improve from the previous game week and will also hope to extend his impressive record against Cardiff, with his sides unbeaten in the last four meetings with the Bluebirds.
Leeds also took four points from Cardiff last season consisting of a thrilling opening day 2-2 draw at Elland Road and a 3-0 demolition at the Cardiff City stadium.
Erol Bulut will be hoping Cardiff’s fortunes improve in time to save his job as the Turkish manager enters this fixture at a real risk of the sack.
Cardiff enter this game with only a single point in the Championship this season, with their only win of the season coming against League One Bristol Rovers in the Carabao Cup.
The Bluebirds have already shipped five goals on two occasions against Southampton in their Carabao Cup exit and to Burnley at Turf Moor.
Bulut joined Cardiff at the beginning of the 2023/24 season, becoming the first club outside of his native Turkey that he took charge of.
He assumed the role following relative success in his homeland, leading promoted Yeni Malatyaspor to top-flight safety and a Turkish Cup semi-final appearance in his first managerial role before joining Alanyaspor.
It was as a head coach of Alanyaspor that Bulut tasted the most success, securing a fifth-place finish and reaching the Turkish Cup final, becoming the first coach to lead the side to European football by earning qualification to the Europa League.
After two middling spells at Fenerbahce and Gaziantep, Bulut joined Cardiff following the departure of Sabri Lamouchi after a near miss from relegation in the 2022/23 season.
He led the side to a respectable 12th-place finish, 12 points above the relegation zone, albeit with the fourth worst goal difference in the league of minus 17.
Both managers will be desperate for a result in this fixture; Farke in order to boost Leeds’ promotion chances, Bulut in order to save his job and steer Cardiff away from relegation.
Bulut will likely employ a more restrictive defensive approach to this fixture which has notoriously been Leeds’ downfall, who prosper in open and fast flowing games.
The first goal will be crucial for both managers and no doubt it will be an interesting clash of styles.
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Junior Firpo vs Anwar El Ghazi
An outlet that Cardiff will look to use to gain a result from this game is through the technical ability and experience of Anwar El Ghazi.
The Dutchman arrived at the Cardiff City Stadium at the beginning of August following an incredibly busy summer off the field and in the Labour Court of Mainz.
El Ghazi successfully sued his former employers Mainz 05 for wrongful dismissal after he had his contract terminated for sharing a pro-Palestine post on his Instagram account. He was awarded 1.5 million euros in compensation as a result of this verdict.
Returning to the pitch, however, El Ghazi possesses tremendous technical ability and is renowned for being a skilful wide player with an eye for goal.
His style of play has drawn comparisons to Adel Taraabt’s spell at QPR and no doubt El Ghazi’s top-flight experience both in the Netherlands and England will provide him with a crucial edge in his matchup with Junior Firpo.
El Ghazi has already netted a top-flight goal against the Whites for Aston Villa in a 1-0 win during Leeds’ return to the Premier League during lockdown football.
Up against a forward-thinking full-back such as Junior Firpo, El Ghazi will be looking to exploit space left by the Dominican Republic international’s overlapping runs.
Junior Firpo arrives at this game vying to replicate his form from the second half of last season in which he accumulated eight assists.
Firpo’s presence in the defeat to Burnley was ineffective at providing extra width and an overlapping threat due to the low defensive block deployed by the Clarets and the former Barcelona man will be hoping for more luck in Saturday’s fixture.
Whilst his attacking output can provide Leeds with a huge numerical advantage down the flanks, Firpo’s tendency to roam forward can often lead to opposition threats on the counter and leave the defensive pairing of Pascal Struijk and Joe Rodon exposed.
It is unlikely that Firpo will face much direct defensive threat from El Ghazi himself, should Bulut deploy his wingers higher up the field, however he may find himself in a similar predicament to Burnley in which space is restricted and midfield numbers stifle the attacking advantage Leeds often attempt to deploy down the flanks.
With both players possessing European experience and having huge attacking threats, despite their difference in position, Cardiff’s right flank looks to be a real point of interest concerning the outcome of Saturday’s match.
Joe Rodon vs Calum Chambers
A clash of two ball-playing central defenders will provide excellent viewing come Saturday as former Tottenham man Joe Rodon faces former Arsenal servant Calum Chambers.
As practically the first name on the team sheet, Rodon has provided Leeds with excellent defensive cover since his initial loan move for the 2023/24 season.
After making his Elland Road move permanent in the summer, for a figure of around £10million, it hasn’t been the most successful beginning to the season that the Welsh international would have wished for.
Whilst the majority of the goals conceded by the Whites have not fallen under the blame of Rodon, he will be looking to add a fourth league clean sheet to his collection this season when up against Cardiff.
Standing at 6ft 4ins, Rodon remains an ever-present threat at set-pieces and will look to provide Chambers plenty of problems during offensive and defensive scenarios.
Chambers similarly will be looking to exploit Leeds’ defensive frailty at set-pieces and provide a tough time for forward Mateo Joseph.
Chambers enters this fixture ever present for the Bluebirds in the Championship this season as part of his first Championship campaign.
His 12-year Premier League spell took him to Arsenal, Middlesbrough, Fulham and Aston Villa, with Champions League and England appearances being accumulated during this time.
In pursuit of first-team football, Chambers left Aston Villa by mutual consent and joined Cardiff on July 14.
Leeds are more than familiar with Chambers, with his only Villa goal coming at Elland Road via a stunning curling effort from the edge of the box.
The Premier League experience of Chambers will no doubt provide Cardiff with a strong defensive leader should they choose to drop deep and frustrate Leeds.
Furthermore the trickery of the aforementioned El Ghazi could provide many a set-piece opportunity for the Englishmen to connect to.
If Cardiff are to gain a result from this game, the performance of Chambers will remain a vital part of it at the heart of defence.
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Ilia Gruev vs Joe Rals
Now onto the comparison of two players who can be deployed both as the deep-lying playmaker or the anchor in the midfield.
Starting with Ilia Gruev, the Bulgarian international is likely to be deployed in his usual defensive midfield spot in partnership with Ethan Ampadu.
Gruev will be looking to keep Cardiff attacking midfielder Rubin Colwill quiet to nullify any central threat to the Cardiff counter.
Gruev had a slow start to his Whites career, however he has grown to establish a regular place in the side as the anchor of the defensive line, picking the ball up from deep and providing passing lanes for both full-backs and the deep-lying playmaker beside him.
It was in this fixture last season that Gruev delivered arguably his finest performance in a white shirt as he was named man of the match with a staggering 97% pass accuracy as Leeds ran out 3-0 winners.
Gruev has additionally provided Leeds with a set-piece threat both from out-swinging corners and free-kicks (most notably seen in last season’s playoff semi-final).
As one of the EFL’s longest-serving players, Joe Ralls has been ever reliable for Cardiff since 2010 and still remains one of the first names on the team sheet.
After over 350 appearances in the Cardiff first-team and as current club captain, Ralls has developed a reputation for being the utility man for the Bluebirds.
Whilst typically in the centre of midfield, Ralls has filled in on the left wing and at left-back during injury crises.
Despite describing himself as a box-to-box midfielder who “likes to get forward as much as possible” it is likely that Ralls will be deployed in a deeper sitting role with the Whites expecting to dominate the possession.
Ralls will likely operate as a volante who will look to burst forward on the counter but will primarily look to protect the defence from the ever-present Leeds attack.
Farke’s system relies heavily on the performance of the number 10 in his side and should Ralls not get the better of Aaronson it is possible Cardiff will struggle to keep the Leeds attack at bay.
Joel Piroe vs Chris Willock
In a different style of battle we look to both sides’ bench and the threat that could be carried later in the affair.
Joel Piroe, when not in the starting line-up, is typically Farke’s first option off the bench and provides an attacking option both leading the line or operating as a 10.
Whilst typically a poacher during his spell at Swansea, Piroe found himself switching between being Leeds’ main forward or number 10.
Despite this constant shifting of role Piroe still notched up 17 goal contributions, including goals in both fixtures against Ipswich and one in the play-off victory over Norwich.
No matter the scoreline expect to see Piroe introduced by Daniel Farke and no doubt cause a threat to any tired legs in the Cardiff defence.
Moving over to the opposite bench we have Chris Willock, who joined Cardiff this summer following his contract expiring at QPR.
Willock has four years of Championship experience and experienced personal success at QPR, winning the supporter’s player of the year award for the 2021/22 season.
Being able to be deployed as either a winger or a lone striker, Willock provides a fresh turn of pace off the bench and will be an ideal replacement should El Ghazi be tiring during the game.
Alternatively, he provides a different type of battle for Rodon as opposed to Wilfried Kanga who at 6ft 2ins will provide an aerial battle for the Welshman as opposed to neat dribbling and pace from Willock.
It is more than possible that should the game be finely poised, either side’s bench could hold the key to unlocking the defence of the opposition and provide either side with a result.
Both sides are desperate for a result for differing reasons, however, the quality Leeds possess in attack could be too strong for the hosts - and should they get the first goal, we expect the Whites to dominate the game.
For Cardiff the priority will be to frustrate Leeds and carve out chances on the counter as Leeds push bodies forward.
It will be a tough task yet Leeds often struggle against low blocks - and if deployed effectively the result could go either way.
Score prediction: Cardiff City 0-2 Leeds United
