Leeds United moved to the top of the Championship table on goal difference on Boxing Day with a relatively comfortable 2-0 win at Stoke away from home.
The Whites secured the three points thanks to a double from Joel Piroe, who scored either side of half time, and are now in control of their future, as the lead at the top of the division is now for them to lose.
Daniel Farke will surely be pleased that his team put in a solid performance, keeping a clean sheet, whilst also providing a strong threat offensively.
The balance of his midfield set-up played a big role in the side’s overall display, and Joe Rothwell starred for the Whites with his showing in the middle of the park.
Joe Rothwell’s performance against Stoke
The Bournemouth loanee was selected to play ahead of Japan international Ao Tanaka and justified his selection alongside Ethan Ampadu with a terrific performance.
Rothwell displayed his quality in and out of possession to prevent Stoke from building attacks, as well as being able to dictate play to develop plays for his team.
The English midfielder won four of his five duels, made three tackles, and was not dribbled past a single time, which shows that he got the better of the Stoke players more often than not in defensive situations, to keep Illan Meslier quiet.
In possession, the experienced maestro also completed 94% (78/83) of his attempted passes and created two chances, showing that he offered reliability and creativity on the ball.
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Rothwell was, therefore, outstanding as a box-to-box midfielder, but his display may have taken attention away from central defender Pascal Struijk, who was the unsung hero for the Whites.
Pascal Struijk’s performance against Stoke
Can he do it on a cold Thursday night in Stoke? Yes. It was not an easy evening for defenders, with a thick fog limiting the visibility on the pitch, but the Dutch titan put in an excellent display.
Narcis Pelach’s side only had 25% possession, despite playing at home, on the night and this meant that they were often looking for the longer pass in an attempt to alleviate the pressure that Leeds were putting on them with their dominant play.
Farke, therefore, needed a player to step up and win the aerial duels to prevent Stoke from being able to win flick-ons and second balls to get themselves back into the game, and that is what Struijk did.
|
Vs Stoke |
Joe Rodon |
Pascal Struijk |
|---|---|---|
|
Minutes |
90 |
90 |
|
Duels won |
3 |
8 |
|
Aerial duel success rate |
0% |
73% |
|
Touches |
104 |
110 |
|
Clearances |
0 |
2 |
As you can see in the table above, the academy graduate was the main man from a defensive perspective for Leeds on Boxing Day, whilst his centre-back partner failed to win a single aerial duel or make a clearance on the night.
These statistics illustrate Struijk’s dominance at the heart of the defence and show that he kept his team on top by winning the majority of those crucial aerial battles and preventing the home side from getting back into the contest.
Therefore, the left-footed colossus was an unsung hero for the Whites on the night because he did the dirty work that may have gone unnoticed.
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2024-12-27 13:15:13
