Leeds United need Georginio Rutter to start scoring to earn Premier League promotion
Leeds United need Georginio Rutter to start scoring soon if they are to earn promotion back to the Premier League this season.
Leeds’ 1-0 defeat against Blackburn Rovers was their second loss in three winless Championship games – a run in which they scored only once.
Those slip-ups – part of a five-game streak in which the Whites were also held by Watford and Sunderland – have handed the advantage in the automatic promotion race to top two Leicester City and Ipswich Town.
With just three league games remaining, time to turn things around and leapfrog one of that pair is running out and the lottery of the playoffs looks increasingly likely to be Leeds’ fate.
Georginio Rutter has the potential to revive Leeds United
If there is one player in the squad capable of resurrecting the Whites’ form and carrying them through the playoffs – or even on a seemingly unlikely run back into the top two – it is Rutter.
The Frenchman sits second in the division’s assist charts with an impressive 15, behind only former Leeds left-back Leif Davis, who has managed 16 for Ipswich.
However, that creativity has dried up, along with Leeds’ goals in recent games.
But where Daniel Farke needs Rutter to step up is not in the assist department, but rather as a finisher. The 21-year-old has accumulated an xG of 12.0 across the season and yet has only six goals to show for it [FotMob].
The young forward regularly picks up dangerous positions but has lacked a ruthless streak – and Leeds, who are going through a difficult spell, could certainly use those goals.
If Rutter can find his shooting boots soon, Leeds may just be able to revive their form and fire themselves back into the Premier League.
In other Leeds United news, Don Goodman has urged Farke to strengthen in this area in the summer.
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