Three inclusions in Leeds United’s matchday squad and two exclusions from the pitch were probably justifiable in Liam Cooper’s eyes, but a third snub may have smarted. In Sunday’s 60th minute, in the eye of the bewildering storm Crystal Palace were swirling, Javi Gracia turned to his bench for answers.
Left-back Junior Firpo, fresh from a bout of medical treatment and carrying a yellow card, was one of the lambs Gracia wanted to sacrifice. The only other player in the squad with meaningful experience in that position this season was Pascal Struijk.
Shuffling Struijk outside would not have been too difficult to do given Gracia had his club captain and left-sided centre-back specialist on the bench. The Spaniard would overlook his dressing room general and go for Rasmus Kristensen, Gracia’s nominated utility man in recent weeks.
