Former right-back Newsome, who achieved success with Leeds United in 1992 and currently works as a sports commentator on BBC Radio Leeds, expressed his desire to speak with Firpo regarding his defensive abilities.
He stated after the match on Friday that the former Barcelona player lacks awareness of potential threats and this aspect of his game needs to be addressed by manager Daniel Farke and the coaching staff.
Jon Newsome stated, “If there’s anyone on the field that I would like to have a conversation with, it would be Junior Firpo. His inability to stop crosses and his lack of awareness in defending against these crosses is a significant issue that needs to be resolved.” #LUFC
Firpo, who is contracted to Elland Road until June 2025, joined Leeds in 2021 and was part of the team that suffered relegation from the Premier League last season.
The 27-year-old was sidelined due to injury for the first three months of the current season but made his return in November. He has started six matches out of his 12 total appearances in the 2023-24 campaign.
During the team’s recent five Championship victories, Firpo has been included in the starting lineup and has provided four assists.
Farke’s team currently sits in third place in the table, just one point behind second-place Southampton.
Despite the recent success with Firpo in the lineup, some Leeds fans share Newsome’s opinion and believe that the team would be better off without him.
Byram is a much stronger option, Firpo is the weakest link.
I completely agree. I was shouting for him to be substituted on Friday. All the danger was coming from his side, and he often appears lethargic. He wasn’t even contributing much in attack and kept losing possession. It was probably his worst performance since his return.
He was asking for a red card. I don’t understand why he feels the need to be so physical. He’s excellent in attack but has no idea how to defend.
He’s 27 years old, and if he still doesn’t know how to defend (which is mostly true), he probably never will 😂
He can’t maintain focus for the entire 90 minutes and is always a liability.
We all know he can’t defend, but he’s decent going forward, and Farke seems to be a fan of him. Personally, I think he’s terrible 😂
He’s also very weak on his right side. If opponents cut inside him, he either gives away a free kick or they easily bypass him and take a shot at goal.
I prefer Sam Byram at left-back. He seems to have more energy and is effective both in attack and defense 🤷♂️
His primary responsibility is to defend, and he’s very poor at it. His attacking prowess is supposed to be an added bonus. He might get away with it in this league, but if (or when) we get promoted, he won’t be good enough.
In other news, Farke’s team engages in discussions regarding a potential departure of a defender.