The German head coach should reintroduce the Whites star into the starting lineup.
Leeds United were sidetracked from their Championship achievements this week as they met Chelsea in the fifth round of the FA Cup at Stamford Bridge.
Mateo Joseph gave the Whites the lead early on, but Nicolas Jackson and Mykhaylo Mudryk scored in the first half to put the hosts ahead at halftime.
Joseph subsequently scored his second goal of the night with a header at the back post, but Conor Gallagher scored a late winner for the Blues, securing their place in the quarterfinals.
Daniel Farke’s side now returns to the Championship, travelling across Yorkshire to face Huddersfield Town this afternoon.
The German head coach could make some alterations to the starting lineup against Chelsea. Georginio Rutter, in particular, must be freed, replacing Joel Piroe in the starting lineup following a terrible performance from the Dutchman, who should be mercilessly dropped.
Joel Piroe’s stats versus Chelsea.
The former Swansea City player was chosen to partner Joseph in the attack at Stamford Bridge, but was utterly overshadowed by the U21s dynamo.
FFC identified him as being even worse than Junior Firpo, who stepped out and entirely missed the ball and player for Gallagher’s winning goal, due to his dismal contributions in and out of possession throughout the game.
Piroe played 79 minutes and had little impact on the game, struggling at the top end of the pitch and off the ball.
The 24-year-old whiz lost six of his nine duels on the night, including five of his eight on the ground and one in the air, indicating that Chelsea’s players found it far too easy to outmuscle him in physical fights.
Unfortunately, the Dutch finisher’s lightweight play outside of possession was not compensated for by quality on the ball. In 79 minutes on the pitch, he did not register a single shot on goal or generate a ‘big chance’ for his teammates.
Both of his attempted shots were blocked by the opposition before they could reach Robert Sanchez’s goal, and he provided one crucial pass for his team.
These statistics highlight Piroe’s lack of threat in the final third, as he failed to demonstrate his attacking ability against Premier League talent, which may be a concern ahead of a potential promotion to the top level next season.
Leeds paid more than £10 million to sign the striker from Championship rivals Swansea last summer, after he scored 19 goals in 43 second-tier matches for the Welsh club during the 2022/23 season.
Joel Piroe’s Championship Statistics this Season
So far this season, the left-footed marksman has had a good, if unspectacular, season with the Whites, with his performances at the top end of the pitch being less than convincing.
Piroe was brought in to score goals, considering his record at Swansea last season, and only Crysencio Summerville (15) has more Championship goals than the Dutch gem (11) for Leeds this season.
In that regard, you could say that he has been a success, since the 24-year-old attacker has supplied the squad with a sufficient number of goals.
However, his 11 goals are based on an Expected Goals of 11.69, and he has missed seven ‘great chances’ in total. This demonstrates that the Leeds attacker has slightly underperformed in front of goal, with wasteful finishing at times.
Piroe has also shown a lack of imagination. In 33 Championship games this season, the Dutchman has made 0.8 important passes per game, generated two ‘big opportunities’, and provided two assists.
His lack of physicality has also caused him problems at times, as opposing players have defeated him in 62% of their duels, indicating that the 6’1″ jewel has been a lightweight on the field for his club.
Rutter should be the starting attacking midfielder over Piroe, according to statistics. The manager has announced that the French ace is back in training after missing out against Chelsea due to injury.
The 21-year-old magician, who was once acclaimed for his “blistering” pace by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has been in spectacular form in the Championship this season and might provide the opportunities Joseph requires to score his first league goals, following a brace in the FA Cup on Wednesday night.
Leeds’ 20-year-old striker demonstrated his finishing ability with a clinical right-footed shot past Sanchez for his first goal and a well-placed header at the back post for his second.
| 23/24 Championship | Georginio Rutter |
|---|---|
| Appearances | 33 |
| Key passes per game | 2.2 |
| Big chances created | 20 |
| Expected Assists | 9.23 |
| Assists | 11 |
| Stats via Sofascore | |
Rutter, as shown in the table above, has been a continuous creative danger for the Yorkshire club, with his ability to routinely break down opposing defenses.
Only Leif Davis and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (12) have more Championship assists than the former Hoffenheim star, and only Abdul Fatawu (24) has generated more ‘big chances’ than him.
These statistics demonstrate that few players in the division are better creators than Rutter, who may be an excellent fit in the number ten position behind Joseph.
However, the French star’s finishing needs improvement. He has been wasteful in front of goal, as has Piroe, with six goals scored from an xG of 10.24 in the championship.
Overall, however, Rutter has been directly involved in 17 goals compared to the Dutch striker’s 13 in the league, implying that he has had a higher impact on Leeds’ season thus far.
The £34k-per-week wiz is also in good form, having scored two goals and assisted three times in his past five games across all competitions, whereas Piroe is coming off a dismal performance against Chelsea.
Taking all of these data into account, Farke must unleash Rutter from the start – and brutally drop the Dutch striker – as the offensive midfielder behind Joseph, given his enormous creative ability, which may be used to put the Terriers to shame in Yorkshire this afternoon.
