The most recently-constructed stand at Watford’s Vicarage Road replaced another which had long been earmarked for demolition; so thoroughly condemned that it was only fit for journalists to sit in.
The ruins of that old structure were where Massimo Cellino sat and looked out in 2014, a few days after he out-lawyered the EFL and bought Leeds United. Alongside him was a worn-down Brian McDermott, manager in name but earmarked to be sacked. Find the photos of them together and you’ll spot the dynamic: the Italian in full flow and McDermott silent, almost willing him to get on with it.
In the car park afterwards, Cellino was pursued by hangers-on, wild-eyed and ready to go. When I went to interview him the following day, he was knee-deep in a bottle of whisky — which, in fairness, is what Leeds can do to you. No trip to Vicarage Road should ever fail to remind the club of time spent on the lunatic fringe.
Daniel Farke’s order to the present-day Leeds squad was to “press the button” against Watford last night, and he was not talking about the button they habitually pressed at Elland Road over the years: the big red one with ‘you know you want to’ written on it. There are countless fingerprints all over it too, too many to identify, and any time the club sail in waters like those around them before yesterday — calm, metronomic, no clouds pending — it takes time to adjust emotionally to the idea of Leeds finding it easy.
As 2024 developed, you were reminded more and more of the famous meme from a takeaway shop; Farke’s squad quietly minding their own business while Leicester City, Ipswich Town and Southampton grappled with each other by the door. But Leeds were dragged into the melee by Watford, pushed as close to defeat in the league as they have been for months. Mateo Joseph got them out of it, off the bench to score with his second touch near the end of normal time, but a tense 2-2 draw was indicative of how long the final stretch of the Championship can be; of how much theatre the division can ram into seven or eight matches.
Farke was inclined to take the point and run because Leeds, for an hour, had not played well. They would have nicked a win but for Daniel Bachmann’s sprawling save from Jaidon Anthony — the winger almost outdoing Joseph by notching with his very first touch — but most of what preceded his chance set the tone of a long evening. The last time Farke found himself crossing fingers late on was at home to Preston North End in January, and it is a mark of the Championship that Leeds were 14 games unbeaten at full time and smarting slightly. In a year when at least three teams could have been all but promoted already, no one is blase enough to count on it happening.
However much good it did Leicester, Ipswich or Southampton, the international break that finished last night did not much suit Leeds. Farke hinted at the start of it that he would rather have carried on without it, and he made the same noises on Wednesday, counting the cost of the season’s last interlude.
Ilia Gruev hurt an ankle with Bulgaria and was missing from Vicarage Road. Wilfried Gnonto tweaked a hamstring with Italy Under-21s and will be out for three weeks. Connor Roberts also returned injured from duty with Wales. The rest of Farke’s Welsh contingent went through extra time against Poland on Tuesday, and Junior Firpo’s late return from South America saw him on the bench. A general lack of sharpness hung over Leeds’ performance at Watford. “For us, (the break) was the worst outcome,” Farke said, bemoaning the fact his squad had not been able to train en masse once.
Farke has not put many feet wrong since the end of December but his choice of starting line-up last night did not find the bullseye. He dealt with Gruev’s absence by breaking up the centre-back partnership of Ethan Ampadu and Joe Rodon, a combination established in January which is still to concede a league goal in open play. Farke might be minded to put it back together immediately against Hull City on Monday. “I didn’t like (having to do that), if I’m being honest,” he said, “but there was no choice.”
(Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
Ampadu filled the vacancy left by Gruev at No 6, Liam Cooper stepped into the defence and Leeds conceded twice from open play in the space of 44 minutes, Vakoun Bayo volleying in after Watford pushed forward down the left and Emmanuel Dennis converting a low shot after backing Cooper up on the right. It took a gem from Crysencio Summerville, a trademark curler in a crucially influential performance, to limit Watford’s lead to 2-1 at the break.
In the 64th minute, Farke sent on Firpo for Cooper, reshuffled everything and came up with a system he could conceivably have started with: Firpo, Rodon, Ampadu and Sam Byram across the back four, with Gray stepping into midfield. It got better from there as Watford, who had gone at Farke’s side with more purpose than Championship teams tend to, slowed up in the last half-hour. Joseph had been off the bench for 25 seconds when he equalised on 85 minutes, prodding in from close range.
Came back on time 😂, well fought point on the road. Let’s make it a good one on Monday at home 🔥🏟️ @LUFC pic.twitter.com/fpn1JKvHdH
— Junior Firpo (@JuniorFirpo03) March 29, 2024
Anthony thought he had a winning goal on toast during the next attack, only to see Bachmann do what a goalkeeper should by recovering from one save to prepare himself for another. “It would have been the first time this season that I’d have danced on the table,” Farke admitted.
The late flurry notwithstanding, the fixture had forced Leeds to dip and then dig deep. Yesterday as a whole pushed the top four hard, and only one of those clubs toughed out Good Friday to the extent that it yielded a win. And so, at the end of a week in which Farke was asked whether Leeds or Leicester were favourites for the title, Ipswich confounded that discussion by heading into the weekend top of the table. For all that Cellino got wrong at Elland Road, keeping whisky to hand was not the worst idea.
(Top photo: Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
