Felix Wiedwald was brought in to help implement the new style of football that new head-coach Thomas Christiansen was supposedly set to bring. It was to turn out a bad move for all parties, Wiedwald can head back to Germany saying he’s developed but he’s kidding himself and his new club in saying that.
I don’t want to be too scathing of a player leaving because at no point did Wiedwald ever do anything to suggest he wasn’t giving it his all in a Leeds United shirt, he put his body on the line at times and had some good games. It comes down to one simple fact, and it was a fact, he wasn’t good enough. It wasn’t all bad, in his early days he impressed and was part of the best defence in the league, Leeds hitting top spot.
It would soon go downhill for both Wiedwald and Leeds, starting at Millwall. We lost the game in pathetic fashion and next up was Cardiff and Sheffield Wednesday, the latter game came around and would be the turning point in the German’s Leeds United career. I do take issue to that specific game being directly the fault of Wiedwald, I think he was used as a scapegoat for Thomas Christiansen’s stubbornness and team selection.
With a fully fit Ronaldo Vieira on the bench he decided to play Eunan O’Kane, a player who openly had cracked ribs and wasn’t anywhere near full fitness. Matthew Pennington partnered Pontus Jansson and between the pair of them and Wiedwald they couldn’t defend balls into the box. The keeper wasn’t communicating or coming for things, the defenders were just as bad but Wiedwald took the fall, he was one of a number of issues and that would proved to be the case.
By dropping Wiedwald Christiansen made his move, smart at the time because the pressure was lifted from him, all the eyes were on the now dropped keeper, but Thomas Christiansen’s problems wouldn’t just disappear. In came Andy Lonergan, he was never the answer and after a short spell in the team and various goals that lay at his door, Wiedwald was back in but the problem was, Wiedwald wasn’t the answer either.
All of a sudden Leeds realised the position they had put themselves in. Trying to replace Rob Green, almost player of the year previously and one of the best performing players at the club for Wiedwald because he could pass the ball better and we could save money was a disastrous move and Wiedwald performed like glass being hit repeatedly with a football over the next few months, the cracks getting bigger by the shot.
By the time he was dropped from the side again it was under Paul Heckingbottom and Baily Peacock-Farrell would prove to be the answer. Wiedwald had a variety of issues but for me the main one for me was the fact he didn’t seem to shoulder the blame. I remember one moment in particular, against Ipswich at Elland Road, he palmed a tame shot out and Joe Garner scored, Cooper said something to him and he put his finger to his lips and gestured “shhhh” to the captain.
Like Marco Silvestri he wasn’t good enough. He was weak, couldn’t command his area and couldn’t catch the ball most of the time. Leeds’ time looking abroad for keepers has to be done, Angus Gunn and David Stockdale are the two names now linked and that’s music to our ears.
