Tag Archives: adryan

Leeds Utd FA Cup Factfile: Can Brazilian Starlet Replicate Heroic Bakke?

By Andrew Dalton (@lufcstats)

It’s the first weekend of the new year which can only mean one thing – the FA Cup 3rd round.

The Whites renew their rivalry with Sunderland on Sunday, which has come to be defined by the 1973 FA Cup final, when Don Revie’s great Leeds side infamously lost to second division Sunderland.

Leeds United FA Cup facts and stats

Winners 1972 v Arsenal (1-0)

Runners up 1965 v Liverpool (1-2), 1970 v Chelsea (2-2) (1-2 replay), 1973 v Sunderland (0-1)

Hat trick heroes

Jermaine Beckford v Northampton Town A (5-2) November 17th 2008 – 1st Round replay

Allan Clarke v Norwich City Villa Park (5-0) January 29th 1973 – 3rd Round, 2nd replay

Allan Clarke (4) v Sutton United A (6-0) January 24th 1970 – 4th Round

Mick Jones v Swindon Town H (4-0) January 23d 1971 – 4th Round

Peter Lorimer v Bury H (6-0) January 22nd 1966 – 3rd Round

Russell Wainscoat v Crystal Palace H (8-1) January 11th 1930 – 3rd Round

Eugene O’Doherty v Boothtown H (5-2) September 11th 1920 – 1st Qualifying Round

Walter Butler v Leeds Steelworks A (7-0) September 25th 1920 – 2nd Qualifying Round

Cup Debut Men

In the last 50 years the following players have made their Leeds United debut in the FA Cup:

Tony Capaldi, Jonathan Webb, Malcolm Christie, Armando Sa, Tore Andre Flo, Tommy Knarvik, Matthew Jones, Denis Irwin and David Stewart.

Did you know?

Eirik Bakke scored his first goals for the Whites in the FA Cup in a 2-0 win over Port Vale in December 1999.

He also scored in every round in that season with a goal away at Manchester City in the fourth round and one away at Aston Villa in the fifth.

Another attacking midfielder in Adryan, who has impressed but not yet scored for Leeds, would do well to replicate his efforts on Sunday.

Adryan

Eight other players have scored their first goals in this competition over the last 50 years. They are Lucas Radebe, Carlton Palmer, Tony Yeboah, Jamie Forrester, David White, Micky Adams, Paul Reaney and John McAdams.

Shoot outs and replays

We have only been involved in one penalty shoot in the FA Cup, losing 4-2 to Wigan in the 3rd round replay in 2005/06.

Before the days of penalty shoot outs introduced in 1991/92, replays were the only way to solve games.

Back in 1990/91 it took four games to separate Leeds and Arsenal in the 4th round of the competition.

After a 0-0 draw at Highbury, the sides then drew 1-1 at Elland Road 4 days later.

The Gunners won the toss to stage a second replay at Highbury which again finished goalless, before Arsenal went through 2-1 at Elland Road three days after that.

Adryan

2 Assists: How This 20-Year-Old Ace Is Coming Good For Leeds

The capture of Brazilian star Adryan in the summer by Leeds United was highlighted as one of those transfers that could potentially go either way.

Signing a 20 year old from South America and plunging him into the tough battling Championship seems like a recipe for disaster, especially when the player has never particularly impressed in his home land.

While Adryan was referred to as the new Zico by some at the start of his career, this was more as the result of circumstance. Any highly rated talent emerging at Flamengo is given the same title, due to the club’s most famous historic star.

It was with this trepidation and excitement that Leeds fans approached Adryan in the summer.

Initial impressions were not encouraging, with the Brazilian left on the bench without making an appearance for weeks. He also made his debut in bizarre circumstances, initially included in the first team for the Rotherham clash before being dropped to the bench and substituted on for the last 15 minutes.

Since then, however, he has impressed considerably, with the game against Derby County at the weekend comfortably his best display.

He controlled the game from the number 10 position and offered moments of brilliance.

The Vine that has done the rounds on social media was of Adryan flopping around after being tackled, but another, showing him successfully perform a roulette turn past a pair of oncoming Derby defenders, was the most impressive individual moment of the match.

While the likes of Alex Mowatt, Stephen Warnock and Mirco Antenucci rightly took the plaudits after the game, Adryan also starred.

Should he continue his development along the same lines, which has seen him provide two assists and create 1.76 chances per 90 minutes played for the Whites, the club could have a unique player on their hands that would have been out of their reach prior to Massimo Cellino’s takeover of the club.

Adryan and recently appointed head coach Neil Redfearn also clearly have a good relationship, which bodes well for the future.

Adryan and Neil Redfearn

With a £3 million transfer fee written into his contract, Leeds could snap up the talented star at the end of the season on a permanent basis, something that would undoubtedly excite the Leeds faithful.

Why Young Midfield Starlets Have To Start For Leeds Against Wolves

Leeds have struggled to match the fluidity of Neil Redfearn’s caretaker spell in charge since the permanent appointment of Darko Milanic, and are still looking for a victory under the former Maribor coach.

Part of the reason behind the struggles has been a lack of consistency in midfield, with Milanic changing the four selected on a weekly basis.

While it could be suggested that it is time to change the shape away from a diamond in the centre, Leeds did have success under Redfearn playing that system, and there is no reason to believe it won’t work, given the personnel available to Leeds.

What is an issue, however, is that Milanic does not seem to be willing to consider playing three of Leeds’s best midfielders at once, it seems to be because of a perceived risk inherent in packing the midfield with so many young players at once.

When questioned in the past about the inclusion of Lewis Cook, 17, Milanic suggested you need at least some experience in the centre of the park.

The reality is that the most regularly played figure in the middle has been Tommaso Bianchi, and he has been comfortably the least impressive player of those who have been regularly involved.

Rodolph Austin returned to the team after a period out of it, and playing in the centre of the park as a box to box midfielder, he has shown his worth.

The dynamic Jamaican international is undoubtedly not a droppable player at this point, offering a drive that no one else in the midfield does.

Alex Mowatt, 19, has also shown an ability to carry the ball since recovering from his early season injury and then surprise exclusion under Dave Hockaday, something he never really showed last season.

Mowatt is, however, most impressive because of his range of passing, something that allows him to create chance after chance for Leeds’s preferred front two of Mirco Antenucci and Souleyman Doukara.

Cook, who burst onto the scene at the start of the season, was exceptional under Redfearn, and didn’t deserve to be somewhat dropped by Milanic.

Milanic also hasn’t used him in his best position, preferring to play Bianchi in defensive midfield, and there’s no doubt that he is missing a trick here – Cook can anchor the diamond far better than Bianchi, while also linking well with the likes of Mowatt and Austin.

Adryan, 20, has played well in his game and a quarter for the first team, and given his display against Norwich, he deserves another few games to impress further.

This leaves Bianchi as the odd man out, and given that he has failed to do anything particularly significant while playing for the first team and the other midfielders have all impressed regularly in various groupings, it seems like it would be sensible to give the untested combination of Cook, Mowatt, Austin and Adryan a go against Wolves.

It is now up for Milanic to take that particular risk, backing youth in his search for a first win in charge of the Whites.