George Overhill

Sun 24 September 2023 20:40, UK

Leeds United ran out 3-0 winners over Watford at Elland Road to leave the fans celebrating the first home win of the season on Saturday (23 September), despite a stand out performance from opposing keeper Daniel Bachmann.

Summer arrival Joel Piroe broke the deadlock with his fifth goal for the club, and club-record signing Georginio Rutter was the stand-out with his build up play in midfield, as he played a key role in the first and third goals.

And yet it appeared both thrived when their starting roles were reversed, illustrating an issue which is dividing the Whites fanbase where Daniel Farke continues to field the former as a number 10, and the latter as the central striker.

It should of course be noted that the German is a two-time winner of the Championship and is paid handsomely for his expertise as a football manager, so while his team is winning who is anyone else to question his methods?

But at the same time, there have been two occasions where the Whites have drawn a blank in their past four games, against Sheffield Wednesday and Hully City, albeit down to 10 men against the Tigers, suggesting his game plan isn’t always paying of.

With Piroe, scorer of 41 league goals in two seasons for Swansea signed for what could end up being a fee of £16million [The Athletic, 25 August] precisely for his finishing ability, and Victor Orta widely criticised for shelling out £35.5m in January for Rutter from Hoffenheim [Sky Sports, 15 January] because the French youngster was seen as a supporting forward rather than the central striker the side needed, snap shots from the Watford win suggested it may be just that simple.

Rutter demonstrated his increasingly evident quality on the ball numerous times, but he still doesn’t look like a natural finisher, while Piroe is exactly that.

On one occasion in the opening half, as per the extended highlights on the Leeds United YouTube channel, Dan James is in possession out wide on the right, with Rutter the most advanced player in Farke’s line-up, while Piroe is actually running away from goal just outside the area into a number 10 position.

James then manages to hook a wonderful ball into the six-yard box for Rutter to finish off, but his tough isn’t decisive enough and is kept out by Bachmann, in a situation where it is tempting to believe Piroe would have been the man to do the job.

In a similar situation for the opening goal at Millwall on 17 September it is instead the Dutchman who is played in, by Rutter no less who started the move by driving from midfield, where in two touches he kills the ball and instinctively dispatches it into the far corner.

Another good example arose when Piroe broke the deadlock after the hour on Saturday (23 September), where he scored with natural finish at the end of another attack created by Rutter.

The 21-year-old receives the ball under pressure in the centre-circle but spins out of one challenge before evading a second to put his side on the front foot.

Once the ball is played out to James on the right it is this time Piroe who can be seen streaking forward into the striker’s position, where he is then found by the Welsh winger at the back post to score with a first-time finish.

Perhaps Rutter would have done the same, although his recent appearances suggest he just as easily may have snatched at the shot and put it wide.

At the same time it is highly-unlikely that Piroe, or indeed most players, would have been able to beat two players in midfield in the way the younger man did to set the play in motion in the first place.

Granted, at Millwall and against Watford, Farke’s plan has paid off and showed the two can interchange anyway, but in the two recent goalless draws the best Leeds United chances have fallen to Rutter and he hasn’t been able to put them away – having his shots saved in the first half against both Hull City and Sheffield Wednesday when played in by Crysencio Summerville.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, and Farke knows these players better than anyone on the outside, but it is very tempting to feel that, based on his wonderful creativity this weekend, Rutter could have created more for others in the two stalemates, while Piroe would have been better placed to finish key chances.

Both are still proving to be stand-outs so far this season either way, because they are both good players, but the suspicion remains that they might be even better if switched around.

In other Leeds United news, Phil Hay would not be surprised if Farke has a new contract on the cards for a player he “really rates”.