4 touches: Leeds United man failed to make Daniel Farke's go-to tactic work in miserable fashion v Norwich - View | OneFootball

Joel Piroe struggled to make an impact for Leeds United from the bench in their 1-1 draw at Norwich City.

Leeds United picked up a point at Norwich City last night as they sit in the play-off places ahead of their trip to leaders Sunderland on Friday.

In isolation, a point at Carrow Road is a decent one for the Whites, as Norwich are a side that reached the top six last season, and they are quickly improving under new boss Johannes Hoff Thorup after a slow start.

However, it also felt like something of a missed opportunity for Leeds, as they were in the ascendency after Largie Ramazani had equalised in the 60th minute.

Daniel Farke’s subs fail to make a positive impact

But, the Whites couldn’t capitalise on that pressure, and the reality is that Farke’s subs didn’t have the impact he would’ve wanted, as it was actually Norwich who looked more likely to find a winner in the final minutes.

And, Joel Piroe was one player who was particularly disappointing, with the forward unable to replicate the decisive contributions he had made in recent weeks.

Whilst the ex-Swansea man sometimes comes in for criticism from the support, it should be noted that he has been playing well from the bench.

Prior to the Norwich game, Piroe had scored in three of his last four outings, all of which came as a sub. When you break down his minutes, he scored the three goals in less than 70 minutes.

Therefore, he was quickly developing a reputation as a super-sub for Farke, but unfortunately for the manager, Piroe fell below his recent standards against the Canaries.

Joel Piroe endures anonymous outing at Norwich City

Incredibly, despite coming on in the 70th minute, Piroe only touched the ball four times, and he failed to complete a pass from two attempts.

With Farke hoping that Piroe could help ram home Leeds’ pressure, Piroe, and fellow substitute Patrick Bamford initially, didn’t

Of course, the blame isn’t all on the player for that, as sometimes subs can disrupt the rhythm of the game, and it did feel like that was the case.

Plus, as a forward player, Piroe would be reliant on getting the ball in good positions, and, for whatever reason, the service and build-up slowed down once he came on the pitch.

Nevertheless, Piroe can clearly do more when he was on the pitch, and he certainly didn’t show enough to Farke to suggest he should be in the XI at the Stadium of Light for that huge game later this week.

Again, it should be reiterated that Piroe has been working very well from the bench, so he has proven he can be very effective as a sub, but the performance at Norwich was a reminder that Farke needs to have alternative options up his sleeve.

Leeds hit 90 points last season, and a factor in that was the strength in depth, as the likes of Dan James and Jaidon Anthony were regularly used from the bench.

On paper, Leeds are perhaps lacking that same star quality to change the game, but they still have a group that will be the envy of many Championship managers.

But, if they are to be successful, Piroe must show that his anonymous display at Norwich is a rarity, as he looks to get back to scoring goals from the bench as he tries to win his place back in the starting XI moving forward.