Don Goodman shocked by Pascal Struijk moment vs Newcastle: ‘Wow, there’s no excuse’
Pascal Struijk could have given Leeds United a very early lead in the first half against Newcastle on Wednesday.
Leeds made the journey up to St. James’ Park in hopes of grabbing another positive Premier League result, as Brenden Aaronson’s long-range strike may have bailed out his own teammates’ blunder.
Daniel Farke has led a terrific run of results recently for the Whites, and fears of relegation are starting to fade.
Struijk is an important player for Leeds, but Don Goodman was under no illusion that the defender should have done better with one clear-cut opportunity.
Don Goodman couldn’t believe Pascal Struijk’s miss
Many people questioned whether Struijk would be able to make the step up to the Premier League this season, but the Dutchman has remained a key player for Farke.
The Leeds boss has switched to a 3-5-2 formation in recent games, which puts heavy responsibility on his defenders to perform well.
Although clean sheets are admired, tall centre-halves are also an important outlet for scoring goals, as Struijk will not want to see his miss back.
- In the eighth minute, Anton Stach delivered a cross from a set piece, which found the head of Struijk
- According to Sofascore, Struijk’s chance had an xG of 0.27
- It was recorded as a big chance missed
While commentating on the contest live on Sky Sports, Goodman wasn’t able to hold back his feelings on the Leeds defender’s missed chance.
Goodman said: “Wow, he [Struijk] has to score, he has to score. The cross is right on the money. I’m looking for an excuse to say why he can’t score; that is a huge chance.“
Struijk has proven to be a goal-scoring threat in the past for the Whites, and he’ll know he had to do much better against Nick Pope.
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Leeds’ current form is no fluke; first half vs Newcastle proves why
Forget Leeds’ opening goal against the Magpies, Farke’s side were better than Newcastle in the first half.
The Whites unsurprisingly allowed Newcastle to have a fair share of possession, but Eddie Howe’s men were unable to create that many clear-cut opportunities, and their goal was out of nothing.
Leeds were tenacious, winning the ball back multiple times in high areas and getting into dangerous positions.
St. James’ Park had a feeling of nervousness around the place as Leeds supporters belted out chants for 45 minutes straight, high up in the stands.
Many would have predicted the Whites to fall off at this point, but the first half display proved that Leeds are the real deal, with January improvements bound to improve Farke’s squad further.