Rodrigo has certainly started the Premier League campaign in a vein of red-hot form. The forward managed to follow up his opening day effort against Wolves with an impressive brace in the second half against Southampton on Saturday at St Mary’s.
Unfortunately, his two goals in the south coast sunshine were only enough to secure a 2-2 draw for the Whites as Jesse Marsch’s side squandered a two-goal lead. However, Rodrigo currently sits on top of the Premier League’s goalscoring charts and, as it stands, he has probably been the club’s most outstanding player this season so far.
On the back of such form, it hardly seems believable that at the start of pre-season, many believed Rodrigo would be destined for a bench spot under Marsch. That notion came off the back of a frustrating 2021-22 campaign for the Spain international and if it wasn’t for the injury Luis Sinisterra picked up in Perth last month, perhaps he wouldn’t have got his chance at all this month.
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However, Rodrigo has taken the opportunity he has been given in the side with both hands and his two goals against the Saints underlined the confidence he is playing with at present. With just a few second half seconds on the clock, Rodrigo dashed into the six-yard box to meet a low Jack Harrison cross with a deft flick of his left boot.
Gavin Bazunu could only watch on as the ball sailed beyond him at his near post and into the back of the net that Leeds’ army of travelling support were positioned behind. The 31-year-old made it look easy, but by getting across his man and delivering the first-time finish, he showcased the knack and talent he possesses in front of goal.
Just 14 minutes later, Rodrigo was wheeling away once more to celebrate in front of the delirious United supporters after scoring his second of the game. In truth, Pascal Struijk’s glancing header had already beaten the Saints custodian, but Rodrigo was in the right place at the right time to make sure of it, by nodding Leeds 2-0 up.
Including his efforts against Palace and Cagliari during pre-season friendlies in July, he has now scored seven in his last four outings and seems to be thriving under Marsch, who had spoken highly of him on a number of occasions before the trip to Southampton. It didn’t all go his way at St Mary’s and at times the former Valencia man cut a frustrated figure, particularly in the first half of the contest as passes went astray and Leeds struggled to carve out clear openings.
The Whites’ front four struggled to click and while he was being ambitious in possession, Rodrigo made his fair share of errors, too, whilst playing in the deeper attacking midfield role. Marsch switched things up slightly at the break, giving him a licence to push further forward and lead the line, while Dan James switched to the edge and it instantly paid dividends.
“I think the idea was that maybe we could challenge their backline with Dan’s speed but we weren't getting enough of that,” Marsch said in his post-match press conference when asked about the change. “Dan had a big chance at the end of the first half that maybe would have rewarded that idea.
“But then I just felt like making the rotation of putting Rodri in a more dangerous spot putting Brenden (Aaronson) in the middle to help find pockets in their team and also to help press and win balls and then Dan, on the right flank, to be a little bit more aggressive to be running in the deep and being vertical.
“Rodri, obviously, I thought the first goal was a really good goal, a really good connection between him and Jack and Brenden, I thought it was fantastic.”
Marsch added about his goalscorer: “The goals are one thing but for me even more so the quality at which he's playing, the clarity, the tactical awareness, the discipline, the work rate. He's putting full performances together.”
There were frustrating moments at St Mary’s but heads undoubtedly dropped in the away end when Patrick Bamford hit the deck and left the field of play after just 28 minutes of action. The striker’s injury issues last season have been well-documented and when he was taken off the field, supporters were undoubtedly fearing the worst.
Marsch has since confirmed that Bamford felt some tightness in his groin and Leeds weren’t willing to take any chances with him, meaning there is a strong chance he could be involved next week against Chelsea. Joe Gelhardt’s absence was also noted with the young forward picking up a dead leg earlier in the week.
However, Leeds are on the lookout for another frontman and they hope to bolster their ranks before the window shuts on September 1. Whether they do or not remains to be seen, but Rodrigo’s goals are certainly easing the club’s attacking concerns right now after starting the campaign in a purple patch of form.
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