Daniel James was a game changer for Leeds United and proved his worth on the bench against Millwall
The flying Welsh winger came on in the 70th minute against Millwall at The Den and was the creator of Leeds’ second and third goals of the game as he helped the team put the result beyond all doubt.
Having a player with James’ attributes to bring on against tired legs will prove to be an invaluable option for Daniel Farke and his side, as he can change the game in the blink of an eye.
While the winger was only credited with one assist in the game, after his cross for Georginio Rutter to finish was deflected into his path by the Millwall defender, James’ cameo appearance was a real display of what he can offer to this Leeds side.
He has often been bemoaned for his lack of end product despite his pace and dribbling ability, but he has picked up two assists in his last two Championship appearances, and it could have been three but for the deflection not counting as his pass.
The ability to bring James off the bench, to utilise his speed running in behind against a side who were pushing forward to chase the game ultimately made the difference in Leeds’ trip to The Den, and it also revealed a possible game-changing option for the future.
In his 20-minute showing against Millwall, James recorded an assist (let’s call it two), touched the ball 13 times as they looked to hit on the break, and completed 100% of his passes – two of which were key passes [Sofascore].
While the stats also have him down as having missed a big chance, his impact on the side is clear to see, and Farke could now look to utilise his not-so-secret weapon in more games to come.