Why Leeds United must cancel Gabriel Sara’s Norwich City threat

Leeds United will be hoping to put their end-of-season form behind them as preparations for their trip to Norwich City continue.

The Whites picked up four points from their last six Championship games to finish the campaign in third place and six points behind Ipswich Town. Leeds will now enter their sixth play-off campaign when they travel to Carrow Road on Sunday, a ground they have not lost to since April 2018.

Daniel Farke’s side have beaten the Canaries home and away this term and will be hoping to rediscover their mid-season form which saw them go 15 league games unbeaten. United’s head coach is optimistic that both Patrick Bamford and Daniel James will be available for selection after missing the last two games of the season through injury.

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While the Whites have plenty of attacking options at their disposal, the Canaries are not far behind. Throughout the regular season, David Wagner’s side managed 79 goals from their 46 Championship games, just two behind the Elland Road side.

And a key element of their attacking success has been the emergence of Gabriel Sara, who signed for Norwich at the start of last season from Sao Paulo. Already, the Brazilian has doubled his goals and assists tally in the 2022/23 campaign, scoring 14 goals and providing 13 assists in all competitions.

Josh Sargent, Jonathan Rowe and Borja Sainz have all aided Wagner’s impressive forward line, but it is 24-year-old Sara who glues them all together. Throughout his Championship career, the Joinville-born attacker’s versatility has been one of his standout qualities.

With the ability to play in midfield, Sara has also played in the deep midfield role, but the Canaries have been most successful when deployed further up the pitch. Leeds will know all too well the threat the Brazilian possesses after scoring and assisting in October’s encounter at Carrow Road.

But how do the Whites stop the 24-year-old from dictating proceedings in East Anglia? As simple as it sounds, it is imperative that he is not given time and space in any of the middle areas.

Sara has the ability to affect play in all areas of the pitch and Leeds will need to be aware of that. But, they will need to make sure they are not just focused on canceling the Brazilian.

The Canaries have shown throughout the season that they can score goals anywhere on the pitch, so focusing on one player allows the other threats in Norwich’s time and space to punish them. While it’s a fine balance to strike, Farke will focus on the fundamentals he wants to see from his players and you suspect a plan has been put in place to combat Sara’s midfield flair.