Leeds United: It’s time for Javi Gracia to finally ditch Luke Ayling
Leeds United will be aiming to right the wrongs of their 5-1 drubbing against Crystal Palace last time out when they host a stuttering Liverpool side to Elland Road on Monday [17 April].
The Whites produced an encouraging first-half performance but went into the break level thanks to a goal in stoppage time, before dramatically collapsing after the break, conceding four in a shocking performance.
The result left Javi Gracia’s men still with their heads just above the water in the Premier League relegation battle, now sitting just two points above the drop zone heading into Monday’s testing encounter.
At the forefront of that performance was captain for the day Luke Ayling, who once again turned in an absolute “1/10-rated” stinker of a showing playing a massive part in Leeds United’s dreadful collapse.
The Elland Road veteran started the game relatively well, causing a threat with his constant energy up and down the right flank but as soon as the second half began, the 31-year-old struggled to match his first-half performance.
He allowed Jordan Ayew to run straight past him to score the header that put Palace ahead, and his stats on the day proved just how poor he was.
Given a terrible average rating of just 5.3 by SofaScore, Ayling lost possession of the ball a whopping 32 times, whilst also winning just three of his 13 ground duels and completing 57% of his passes – a strikingly poor return. Ayling was also dribbled past six times against Palace, once again showing just how culpable he is in his 1v1 defending.
Ayling is loved by the fans and will forever be remembered for his efforts in getting Leeds back to the Premier League and also in Marcelo Bielsa’s last full season at the club.
There’s no denying that he’s an extremely hard-working player, but there’s no shame in admitting that his best days are behind him.
Gracia’s continued persistence in choosing to start the 32-year-old is increasingly baffling and with the Whites still struggling to claim a gap between themselves and the dreaded drop zone, the Spaniard can ill-afford to accept mediocrity any longer, and for that reason, he must be bold and finally ditch Ayling against Liverpool.
In other Leeds United news, Ian Wright cannot believe his eyes after footage surfaces of a Leeds player on social media.