Leeds United’s glass jaw was tempered at Norwich City and now they need a punch without gloves

Neutrals would have been as frustrated with this as Daniel Farke was with Norwich City v Leeds United refereeing. Sky Sports have consistently selected the Whites for live coverage for years, but Sunday would have finally been the day they saw their viewing figures drop.

The spectacle of the 0-0 draw at Carrow Road would have been no match for the sunshine and would certainly have had people walking away without an unwavering passion for Farke’s side. Anyone with that passion would surely have taken that draw before the start.

After two wins in their last eight games and nothing quicker than a play-off limp, the glasses were half empty on the trip to Norfolk. Stay level, return to Elland Road with something salvageable was the order of the day.

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That’s what they got. There were no frills, but perhaps more importantly, no fatal spills. On any manager’s to-do list, the first priority must be clean sheets and a solid defence. The rest can come later. The carts and horses had been driven through Leeds city center by Queens Park Rangers and Southampton. Confidence was falling in a defense that until recently had been the best in the Championship.

The Sunday clean sheet is perhaps the most enjoyable food. Joe Rodon and Ethan Ampadu were much more resilient in the center of defense as a duo, while Glen Kamara and Ilia Gruev provided that protection, no doubt helped by the selection of Archie Gray ahead of them.

Leeds certainly had enough of the ball to suggest, with hindsight, that they should have done more with it to hurt their hosts. However, this was not an opportunity to take risks. Norwich had openings and found pockets of space.

If the visitors had overstretched themselves in pursuit of this goal, damaging a concession would have been painful. This was the reset Farke wanted from the regular season, a blank canvas on which he and his players could paint a new picture, creating fresh foundations from which to build ideas and confidence for Thursday.

Confidence and momentum took a beating between Good Friday and last weekend. Leeds have had to go back to basics and instill some belief that they can be solid and tough to break down with some shot resistance. A glass jaw was tempered in Norfolk. Next on the list: to take the glove off the tight fist at Leeds on Thursday night.