Firpo, Aaronson, James

Let's unpick that. Yes, with one goal and three assists, and a passing accuracy rate of 82%, Firpo is statistically one of the best attacking FBs in the Championshi[p. I agree.

However, he is far from being the worst FB defensively. He's top notch aerially and wins 55% of duels - 74 this seasaon compared to 62 for Struijk, 75 for Bogle and 41 for Rodon. He's strong at tackling - 27 tackles won compared to 32 for Bogle, 18 for Ampadu, 12 for Struijk and 10 for Rodon. We don't have statistics but FIrpo is excellent at recovering the ball, due to his acceleration and intelligence. He's also good when blocking attackers who try to go inside of him. He's made 15 intereceptions this season compared to 20 for Struijk, 8 for Bogle and 7 for Rodon.

He does get caught out on occasion being further forward but that's the team tactics, not the player's fault, especially when the wingers play narrow. Bogle has the same challenge, but Firpo's acceleration results in him being the more effective of the two. It's all down to probabilities, and the positive attacking plays outweighs the risk of being caught out of space.

I also have no problem with FBs picking up yellow cards. That's what happens when you tackle and I'd much rather my FBs tackle than track their opponents backwards.

Where he isn't so good is when defending crosses but that's not enough to damn him as a bad defender.

In summary, I'd rate Firpo amongst the top Full Backs in the Championship. I'd much rather have a player who can adapt in a modern system as an attacking Full Back than have another full back who just stays in a static back four line.

Who Score rate Firpo as our joint second best player this season ('m ignoring Rutter).

https://www.whoscored.com/Teams/19/Show/England-Leeds