Daniel Farke must be ruthless and axe Leeds star once hailed as ‘incredible’, the numbers show why
Leeds United’s start to their Premier League season has been strong, but now is not the time to get complacent.
Despite having a four-point gap on the relegation zone, there is still plenty that could go wrong between now and the end of the season.
In fact, Leeds are still tipped to go down by many, and fine margins could end up deciding their fate.
Therefore, Farke has to be ruthless if he is to keep the Peacocks above the drop zone.
Pascal Struijk has struggled at Leeds this season
While many stars at the West Yorkshire club have had good starts to the season, the same cannot be said for Pascal Struijk.
The centre-back has been at Elland Road for years, and was a regular in the starting XI when they were last in the Premier League.
Even last season, Struijk was fantastic for Leeds, being a crucial player in their promotion campaign.
His late goal against Sunderland in the 2-1 victory will be fondly remembered for years, with the points proving to be the difference for the Championship title in the end.
However, with the Peacocks struggling to keep the goals out this season, questions must be raised.
Recently, Struijk’s performances at Leeds have been questionable at best, and it is now becoming clear that he is a detriment to the team.
Struijk’s ability has declined massively since his last spell in the Premier League
Despite Marcelo Bielsa once labelling Struijk as an “incredible” player, he is in clear decline at Leeds.
Even the defender’s performances at the end of last season were questionable, and now, it is becoming clear that he is not up to standard in the Premier League.
According to Fotmob on 16 October, per 90 minutes, the centre-back has dreadful defensive stats.
As it stands, he is only making 0.57 tackles, 0.29 interceptions, 0.29 blocked shots and 2.57 recoveries.
These are some of the lowest stats in his position this season, with this being a clear red flag regarding his ability.
Daniel Farke must bring in Jaka Bijol
If Leeds are to pull away from the relegation zone, Farke must be ruthless and remove any underperforming players.
Unfortunately, for fan favourites like Struijk, this means their exclusion from the starting XI.
Jaka Bijol has been in fine form for Slovenia, and could easily come into the line-up and do a job for Leeds.
- Bijol joined Leeds in the summer transfer window
- However, the centre-back has only made one appearance this season, which came in the Carabao Cup
- Calls for Bijol to start for Leeds are continuing to get louder
With his defensive skills, it would be an immediate upgrade on Struijk, and could help the Peacocks win multiple valuable points.
Now, this is a decision Farke must make as soon as possible to ensure the Peacocks don’t stray closer to the relegation zone.
If not, the manager may well end up losing his job due to his inability to make decisions that simply have to be made.
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