Farke must drop Joel Piroe to unleash "dynamite" Leeds star

Leeds United are back in action in the Championship for the first time since Christmas as they travel to Stoke City for an away match on Boxing Day.

The Whites are currently second in the division and will be hoping to maintain their place in the automatic promotion spots with a win over Narcis Pelach’s side this evening.

Daniel Farke’s men ran out convincing 4-0 winners against Oxford United at Elland Road last weekend, thanks to goals from Dan James, Jayden Bogle, Brenden Aaronson, and Manor Solomon.

The German head coach could still make some changes to his starting line-up from that match, however, and one player who could be dropped is Joel Piroe.

Why Joel Piroe could be dropped

The Dutch forward was selected to start as the number nine for Leeds against Oxford and was directly involved in one of the four goals, teeing up Solomon to score in the second half with a pass into the box for the winger.

Piroe, however, has only scored one goal in his last seven games in the Championship and his all-round play has still left plenty to be desired.

Vs Oxford United	Joel Piroe
Shots	3
Goals	0
Passes completed	10
Duels won	0/2
Dribbles completed	0/0
Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, the former Swansea marksman was a lightweight at the top end of the pitch, completing just ten passes and losing 100% of his duels, whilst he was also wasteful with his shot attempts.

The left-footed forward’s work out of possession has been dismal throughout the season, as he has lost a staggering 73% of his duels on the ground and in the air.

With this, and the hectic festive schedule, in mind, Farke must drop the Leeds lightweight to the bench and offer Mateo Joseph another chance to impress from the start.

Why Mateo Joseph should start

The Spain U21 international, who was once described as “dynamite” inside the box by U23 scout Antonio Mango, has started ten of his 22 appearances in the Championship so far this season.

Despite his inexperience and age, having turned 21 in October, has fared better in duels than Piroe, winning 36% of his ground duels and 30% of his battles overall, which suggests that he offers slightly more than the Dutchman in physical contests.

Joseph has scored two goals, created four ‘big chances’, and recorded three assists in the division, despite only starting ten games, and this shows that the youngster does have the ability to make an impact in the final third.

However, the academy graduate has only scored two goals from 3.61 xG, and his wasteful finishing could be why Farke has not opted to select him as a starter week-in-week-out over Piroe.

The Dutchman’s poor display, despite assisting the fourth goal, against Oxford could provide Joseph with an opportunity to come in and show the manager that he has what it takes to be the leading number nine for Leeds moving forward this season.