Farke can repeat Meslier trick by dropping "anonymous" Leeds flop
da bet esporte： Leeds United are back in action once again this evening as they prepare to travel to Oxford United in the Championship for the first of their two Easter matches.
da dobrowin： The Whites play after Sheffield United face Cardiff City earlier in the day and this means that they could go eight points clear of third place with a win, if results go their way.
Daniel Farke has already shown that he is willing to make bold selection decisions ahead of big games, having already played a blinder by dropping Illan Meslier recently.
Why Illan Meslier was dropped by Leeds
The French dud was dropped by the German head coach after making two crucial mistakes in the 2-2 draw with Swansea at Elland Road at the end of last month, dropping a cross onto Harry Darling for the first goal and being beaten too easily for the second strike.
Meslier conceded 2.73 more goals than expected and made three errors that directly led to goals in the Championship before finally being taken out of the team in favour of Karl Darlow.
The English shot-stopper has prevented 0.56 xG in his three appearances since he came into the XI, without making a single error, and provided a solid presence between the sticks.
His ability to claim crosses and take danger out of situations has been appreciated by the fan base, as shown by the post from reporter Beren Cross above.
Farke could, now, repeat the trick he played by dropping Meslier by dropping another regular starter in Joel Piroe, whose performances have dipped of late.
Why Joel Piroe should be dropped
The Dutch centre-forward started the 2-1 win over Preston North End and came off the pitch without a goal or an assist to show for his efforts for the eighth game running.
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Piroe started all eight of those matches, returning zero goals and zero assists, and has only scored one goal in his last ten starts in the Championship for Leeds.
The left-footed forward was described as “anonymous” by reporter James Marshment in February, and that is one of the issues with his performances for the Whites because the striker does not offer enough in his general play without goals to go with it.
24/25 Championship
Joel Piroe
Appearances
42
xG
15.06
Goals
15
Key passes per game
0.8
Pass accuracy
77%
Ground duel success rate
33%
Aerial duel success rate
18%
Dribble success rate
31%
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, Piroe is regularly dominated by Championship defenders in duels on the ground and in the air, whilst he does not excel as a passer, creator, or dribbler in possession.
This means that the former Swansea City attacker has been a lightweight in the Whites starting XI in the past eight matches as a starter, because of his poor all-round displays as well as his lack of impact in the final third.
Therefore, Farke could repeat his Meslier trick by ruthlessly ditching Piroe from the team to unleash Patrick Bamford, who recently came off the bench to win six of his nine duels against Middlesbrough.
The English number nine could provide more physicality at the top end of the pitch, as the Dutchman has been too easy for defenders to play against, as Leeds look to get their Premier League promotion over the line in the coming days.
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