Leeds United are back in action in the Championship this evening as they travel away from Yorkshire to take on Middlesbrough at the Riverside stadium.
The Whites have the opportunity to move up to second in the division with a win over Boro tonight, as Ipswich Town's clash with Coventry has been rescheduled for later in the week.
Leicester City's win over West Bromwich Albion on Saturday means that Leeds cannot move to the top of the division, but they can put the pressure on their rivals by going into the automatic promotion places.
Daniel Farke's team are chasing a return to the Premier League and a win over Michael Carrick's side would be another step in the right direction.
Leeds have failed to win any of their last three matches in the Championship – the most-recent being a 1-0 defeat to Blackburn Rovers – and the German boss may look to make some changes to his starting XI in order to return to winning ways.
One player who must be ruthlessly ditched from the lineup, in order to fire the team back into the automatic places tonight, after an underwhelming display last time out against John Eustace's team is centre-forward Joel Piroe.
Joel Piroe's 3/10 display against Blackburn
LeedsLive reporter Beren Cross handed the attacker a dismal match rating of 3/10 against Rovers after Farke selected the number nine to lead the line ahead of Patrick Bamford and Mateo Joseph.
Piroe was provided with a huge opportunity to prove to the manager that he has what it takes to start for the Whites during the crucial games during the promotion run-in, and any potential play-off games that could be to come.
Instead of grasping his chance with two hands, the Dutch striker – as described by Cross – 'brought nothing' to the attack during his time on the pitch.
Minutes played
90
Goals
0
Shots on target
0
Assists
0
Big chances created
0
Pass accuracy
68%
Duels won
3/7
As you can see in the table above, the left-footed attacker offered very little at the top end of the pitch for Leeds, with zero shots on target and zero 'big chances' created.
Both of his attempted shots were blocked by opposition players, which suggests that his shot selection was poor, and his two key passes created a meagre 0.03 xA, which speaks to the low-quality of chances the forward provided his teammates with.
Overall, Piroe did not have a big impact on the game with his anonymous performance in the final third, which was not a huge surprise given his form of late.
Joel Piroe's season in numbers
The Dutch striker has only scored two goals in his last 17 matches in all competitions for Leeds, and has only scored two open play goals – three including penalties – in 23 games since Christmas.
Analyst Louorns on X claimed that Piroe is "invisible" 90% of the time earlier this season, and his poor statistics – in terms of goals and his all-round contributions on the pitch – back that up.
It has been a barren run for the 24-year-old attacker, who was signed on a permanent deal from league rivals Swansea last summer, and one that does not look likely to change any time soon, given his display against Blackburn last time out.
Alongside his struggles in front of goal, Piroe has also struggled to provide the team with much outside of finishing. He currently ranks 11th in the squad for key passes per game (0.7) – below Ethan Ampadu, Junior Firpo, and Glen Kamara, among others.
The 6 foot 1 dud has also lost 62% of his duels in the Championship this season, including 70% of his aerial battles, and this shows that opposition players find it far too easy to get the better of him.
Despite his height and large frame, defenders have had plenty of joy against Piroe in one-on-one duels to win possession back for Leeds, which is why he is not a reliable outlet for Farke in the number nine position.
Appearances
42
Goals
12
xG
12.45
Big chances missed
8
Assists
3
xA
2.16
As you can see in the table above, the Dutchman has not been completely ineffective in the final third throughout the entire season, as he has still plundered 12 goals from 12.45 xG – only slightly underperforming his expected tally.
However, his current run of form since Christmas and his 3/10 display against Blackburn suggest that Farke should drop him for an alternative option against Boro tonight to give the team the best chance of picking up all three points and returning to the automatic promotion places.
The alternative options to Joel Piroe
The German tactician does have a number of players who could step in to take Piroe's place at the top end of the pitch against Carrick's men on Teeside.
One option could be to move Georginio Rutter into the number nine role, from his usual number ten position, and then bring Dan James or Jaidon Anthony in, which would allow Wilfried Gnonto to play centrally.
The lesser-seen Joe Gelhardt, who has only played eight games in the Championship this season, is also a player with centre-forward experience, but is unlikely to be selected for such a big game given his lack of action so far.
Bamford appears to be the obvious candidate to replace Piroe as the English forward has been trusted by Farke for much of 2024 so far.
Appearances
32
Starts
14
xG
8.61
Goals
7
Big chances missed
8
As you can see in the table above, the former Boro man has been wasteful in front of goal in the Championship this season – underperforming his xG and missing more 'big chances' than he has scored goals.
Another option for Farke could be to unleash Joseph from the start for the first time in the league. The 20-year-old striker has scored one goal in 18 appearances as a substitute.
He also scored two goals in his last start for the first-team against Chelsea in the FA Cup at Stamford Bridge, which is why the gem could be an exciting player to bring in to offer more in the final third than the other options.
Whichever direction the manager decides to go in, dropping Piroe is the first step he must take on the road to firing Leeds back into the top two places tonight, due to the Dutch dud's lack of form in the final third.