Leeds United are back in action in the Championship once again this afternoon as they prepare to host Derby County at Elland Road in the early kick-off.
The Whites are back in West Yorkshire after they were beaten 1-0 by Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park last time out, a result that moved them back to third in the division.
A penalty from Todd Cantwell, who won two Championship titles under Daniel Farke at Norwich City, was the only goal of the game in a tough match in Lancashire.
Leeds know that they need to avoid many more off days, such as that one against John Eustace’s men, if they want to achieve automatic promotion back to the Premier League at the second time of asking.
The Whites lost to Southampton in the play-off final last season, after beating Norwich 4-0 in the semi-finals, and will want to avoid having to go through the play-off lottery again.
There will be plenty of lessons learned, you would hope, from the defeat to Blackburn last time out in the Championship, as a number of players in the side underperformed.
Leeds United's worst performers against Blackburn
The headline moment of the match unfortunately involved central midfielder Ao Tanaka, who brought Tyrhys Dolan to the ground in the box to hand the hosts a penalty, which Cantwell gratefully converted past Illan Meslier.
He endured a difficult afternoon at Ewood Park with five of five aerial duels lost and four of seven ground duels lost, which shows that the Blackburn players found it too easy to get the better of the Japan international in the middle of the park.
Another player who struggled with the physical challenges that the Rovers player presented was right-back Jayden Bogle. The summer signing from Sheffield United lost six of his seven ground duels, whilst Owen Beck and Todd Cantwell completed 100% (3/3) of their combined dribbles down that side.
They were not the only disappointing performers on the pitch for the Whites, though, as attacking midfielder Brenden Aaronson’s showing also left a lot to be desired.
The USA international was selected in the number ten position behind Joel Piroe and did little to help the Dutchman in the final third throughout the game.
Minutes
69
Shots on target
0
Key passes
0
Duels won
4/10
Possession lost
18x
As you can see in the table above, Aaronson failed to register a single shot on target or chance created in 69 minutes on the pitch at Ewood Park.
The midfielder’s play in and out of possession was poor, as he gave the ball away frequently and was dominated in duels, and that contributed to the team’s struggles offensively in the match.
Why Brenden Aaronson must be dropped from the team
Farke must finally ruthlessly ditch Aaronson from the starting line-up for Leeds because it was yet another disappointing display from the former Union Berlin loanee.
The attacking midfielder, who Jesse Marsch signed from RB Salzburg in the summer of 2023, has now gone six games without a goal contribution for club and country.
He has also failed to create a single ‘big chance’ for his teammates in those six games for Leeds and the USA, which suggests that his lack of assists has been down to his lack of creativity, rather than due to poor finishing from his fellow forwards.
After five Championship matches without a goal, an assist, or a ‘big chance’ created, Farke must finally drop the American lightweight from the starting XI.
Starts
11
Goals
4
Big chances created
4
Assists
1
Dribbles completed
18
As you can see in the table above, Aaronson had enjoyed a strong start to the season in his first 13 appearances in the Championship, prior to this run of five games.
His return of eight goals and ‘big chances’ created combined in 11 starts shows that he was offering a big threat as both a scorer and a creator of goals for Leeds.
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However, his form has tailed off and Farke should, now, remove him from the starting XI, in the hope that it gives him a kick to get back to his best, and unleash Largie Ramazani in his place.
Why Largie Ramazani should start
The £17.5k-per-week whiz has come off the bench in the last two matches in the Championship, having been out since October through injury, and should finally make his return to the starting XI.
Ramazani has played as an attacking midfielder and as a centre-forward in his career but is typically deployed on the left flank, which means that he could directly replace Aaronson in the number ten role or could play on the left, with Wilfried Gnonto shifted into the middle.
The 23-year-old star, who was once described as “electric” and a counter-attack “weapon” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, joined from Almeria in the summer transfer window and has already shown plenty of promise in a Leeds shirt.
He missed eight matches with an ankle injury, that was sustained in October, and Farke will be hoping that the winger can return to the team to pick up from where he left off prior to that enforced absence.
Starts
6
xG
1.91
Goals
3
Assists
1
Dribbles completed
8
As you can see in the table above, Ramazani made a strong start to the season with four direct goal contributions in six starts in the second tier for the West Yorkshire outfit.
He is a direct, as shown by his eight completed dribbles, forward who likes to run at opposition defenders to make things happen at the top end of the pitch.
Quite simply, Aaronson has offered very little in the final third over the last five games, with his zero goals and zero assists, and Ramazani, who can provide a big threat in front of goal, must come in to replace him in the starting XI against Derby today.
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