The Chalkboard: Kemar Roofe needs Jack Clarke on the wing in order to perform to his best

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In what was a crunch clash at the top of the Championship, Daniel Farke’s Norwich came out on top at Elland Road to go above Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds side on goal difference.

Whilst the Canaries thoroughly deserved their win and were excellent throughout, one thing they did that hurt Leeds most was nullifying their top scorer, Kemar Roofe, who looked isolated and frustrated throughout.

How did Roofe play?

The 26-year-old has hit 14 goals in 24 Championship starts so far this season, proving to be the spearhead behind Leeds’ promotion push.

Be sure to check out the incredible story of the man who rose from a Tanzanian refugee camp to become one of Australia’s biggest football stars in the video below…

Norwich, however, got men tight to the Englishman and limited the space he had to work in. Roofe is a pacey forward who likes to have space to run in to and chances put on a plate for him to gobble up, but he had no such luck on Saturday evening.

Roofe had four shots, one of which was on target, although you can see how Farke’s men shackled him effectively by the following statistics. Leeds’ top scorer was dispossessed four times, had four unsuccessful touches and committed one foul, which saw him receive a yellow card on what was a visibly frustrating evening for him.

Signs of improvement

When 18-year-old starlet Jack Clarke entered the fray at half time, Roofe immediately looked more lively in the box as he knew there was now a player out on the wing who would beat his man consistently and put a cross in.

The 5 foot 11 winger completed two dribbles in his 45 minutes on the pitch, played one key pass and had one shot as he attempted to take the game to Norwich.

Whilst he was instrumental in a much improved Leeds side compared to their first half showing, Bielsa’s men still lost the game. Despite that, there should be food for thought for Bielsa in terms of how he can get Roofe involved against sides who target him – Clarke’s service from out wide can play an important part in that, dragging defenders away from him while providing a consistent line of supply.