Leeds United are back at Elland Road this afternoon as they prepare to take on Championship rivals Coventry City in the seventh game of the campaign.
The Whites have only lost one of their opening six games in the division and are sitting sixth in the table, as they look to secure promotion to the Premier League at the second time of asking.
Daniel Farke’s side lost 1-0 to Southampton in the play-off final at Wembley in May, after finishing third in the league, and lost a number of key players as a result, including Georginio Rutter, Crysencio Summerville, Glen Kamara, and Archie Gray.
The West Yorkshire outfit, whose only loss in the Championship came against Burnley in their last match at Elland Road, ran out 2-0 winners over Cardiff City in their last game.
Largie Ramazani and Joel Piroe scored the goals for Leeds either side of half-time, after Joe Bagan was shown a red card for fouling Wilfried Gnonto as the last man.
Farke may be forced to make at least one change to his starting XI from that victory amid some injury concerns over a number of his first-team players.
Latest Leeds injury news
Manor Solomon, who joined on a season-long loan move from Tottenham Hotspur in the summer transfer window, remains out with a back injury, after he had also missed the win over Cardiff.
The Israel international, who registered an assist on his Leeds debut against Hull, could be fit and available for Tuesday night’s trip to Norwich, however.
Dan James, who is nursing a hamstring injury, is a longer-term absentee and will not be in contention to feature against Mark Robins’ side today.
Farke revealed in his pre-match press conference that the club are yet to make a decision over whether or not Max Wober will need surgery on a knee injury that is keeping him sidelined.
The German head coach also stated that central defender Pascal Struijk is a big doubt for the Whites with an adductor injury. He needed to train on Friday to even be in contention to feature and it remains to be seen whether or not that happened.
It was added that the options to replace the Dutchman in the starting XI are moving Ethan Ampadu into centre-back or handing James Debayo his first-team debut.
With this in mind, Farke must ease the potential blow of losing Struijk by unleashing the 19-year-old – Debayo – in his place at the heart of the defence, next to Joe Rodon.
Why James Debayo should start
Firstly, starting the U21s starlet at centre-back, in the absence of both Wober and Struijk, would allow the captain – Ampadu – to retain his place in midfield.
The Wales international has started all six of the club’s Championship matches in midfield and won 70% of his duels, which shows that he has dominated the middle of the park for Leeds.
In order to retain that dominance and physicality, which allows the Whites to control games, Farke must keep his skipper in his natural position, which then opens the door for Debayo to start.
In his pre-match press conference, the Leeds boss revealed that he has been “very impressed” by the teenage titan, which suggests that the defender has done enough in training to catch the manager’s eye.
Debayo has been an unused substitute in five of the club’s six Championship matches so far this season and should finally make his debut against Coventry today.
It would be a bold call by Farke, given that the 19-year-old is yet to make his senior bow, but it is one that makes sense on paper when you consider Struijk and Wober’s injury situations and Ampadu’s quality in midfield.
The versatile defender, who can play in either full-back position, has played 29 times for the club’s U21s, after 21 appearances at U18 level, and has done enough to convince the manager that he is ready to be a part of the first-team set-up.
Whilst he has yet to make his senior debut, Debayo’s inclusion in the matchday squad on five occasions this season shows that Farke believes that he is good enough to be called upon in the event of an emergency.
Leeds are now in that emergency situation, with the injuries at centre-back, and that is why the youngster should be boldly unleashed to ease the blow of Struijk’s possible absence.
Why losing Pascal Struijk would be a blow
The Dutch titan being unavailable for selection for this clash with Coventry would be a blow because he has been an important player for the club so far this season.
Struijk has started all six of the club’s matches in the Championship, helping his side to keep four clean sheets, and has provided quality in and out of possession for Leeds.
The left-footed ace ranks within the top 2% of centre-backs in the division for progressive passes per 90 (6.50), which shows that he excels at progressing the ball forward from the back to find his teammates in dangerous positions to create attacks for the Whites.
His work out of possession has been just as impressive. The 25-year-old colossus has outperformed centre-back partner Rodon as an out-and-out defender in the second tier this term.
Appearances
6
6
Pass accuracy
91%
92%
Tackles + interceptions per game
0.6
2.6
Ball recoveries per game
2.7
4.7
Ground duel success rate
25%
53%
Aerial duel success rate
54%
68%
As you can see in the table above, Struijk has won the majority of his duels on the deck and in the air, which has not been the case for the Welshman, and has made more tackles, interceptions, and ball recoveries per match.
The former Ajax prospect has provided defensive stability, as shown by his impressive duel success rate, with progressive passing out from the back to assist the team’s build-up, which is why his absence would be a blow.
Hopefully, if given the chance, Debayo can step in and follow in the footsteps of Archie Gray and Mateo Joseph, who have made the step up from the U21 side to the first-team under Farke, to ease the blow of losing Struijk.
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1 ByDan EmerySep 25, 2024