Daniel Farke to sacrifice Joe Rothwell after what Leeds United flop did v Millwall
Daniel Farke needs to make changes after Leeds United fell to a disappointing 1-0 defeat to Millwall on Wednesday night.
Despite creating a plethora of chances at The Den on 6 November, the Whites rarely looked like hitting the back of the net, eventually travelling back to Yorkshire without any points.
Missing out on moving within one point of league leaders Sunderland will be a huge disappointment for those at Elland Road, especially losing by such a narrow margin to a team now four points behind them.
Farke must be cut-throat with his next starting XI decision, with Leeds welcoming QPR to Elland Road just before the next international break, and Rothwell could face the brunt on Saturday 9 November.
With Josuha Guilavogui now in the squad, and proving himself in a cameo against Plymouth Argyle, and the likes of Charlie Crew and Sam Chambers earning their debuts, Farke has options.
Daniel Farke to drop Joe Rothwell after Leeds United defeat?
Trusted with set-pieces, Rothwell ended up taking nine corners against Millwall, but Leeds were unable to take advantage of this dominance, and the midfielder’s accuracy was far from ideal.
The 29-year-old completed 10 per cent of his attempted crosses (1/10), only created one chance, completed zero per cent of his dribbles and completed just 50 per cent of his long balls [FotMob].
Of course, Rothwell cannot take the full blame for the Whites’ 1-0 loss at The Den, but Farke will be displeased with the number of wasted chances. Guilavogui on the pitch might help with corners.
Leeds actually managed to end a torrid run of 178 corners without a goal when Pascal Struijk powered home against Sheffield United last month, but those same issues seem to have reared their ugly heads.
Rothwell has certainly been a key figure since arriving at Elland Road, especially helping to cover for the injured Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev, and for the most part, he has done a stellar job.
With a 93 per cent passing accuracy, six of which were made into the final third, and one recovery during his latest performance, he is a great match for Ao Tanaka in the middle of the field.
However, with the likes of Wilfried Gnonto, Joel Piroe and Dan James ahead of him, Leeds need a much more creative force in the midfield to help open up some deep-defending opponents.
In other Leeds United news, sources have revealed that one attacker wants to leave on loan in January.
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