Leeds United failed to score in their fourth consecutive Premier League game with a 0-0 draw with Brentford at Elland Road on Saturday night.
Los Blancos missed the chance to pick up three points in front of their supporters to improve their chances of avoiding relegation to the Championship.
Daniel Farke’s side have drawn their last two games 0-0, losing their last two league games 1-0 to Sunderland and Manchester City, so scoring goals is clearly their biggest challenge at the moment.
Germany’s head coach needs some of his attacking players to step up in the final weeks of the season, lest they fall back to the second tier with a cry in front of goal.
One player who should be removed from the team to improve the team’s offense is Brenden Aaronson of the United States.
Why did we have to let Brenden Aaronson go?
The former RB Salzburg star gained some credibility after the winter period as he stepped up with three goals and two assists in seven Premier League games between December and January 7.
But that trust must have already run out. It’s been 12 competitive games since Aaronson last registered a goal or assist while struggling at the top end of the pitch.
In the 0-0 draw with Brentford, the American attacking midfielder had zero shots on target, zero “big chances” and earned 0.01xA for his team, but showed a complete lack of impact in the final third.
Despite his struggles, Aaronson has started the last 15 Premier League games for Leeds. Farke must end that run by dropping him off for a trip to Manchester United in April after the FA Cup game against West Ham United.
The American international should be left out for Leeds due to his inability to provide quality play in front of goal, but he is not the only player who should be left out of the squad.
Leeds star player is becoming as useless as Brenden Aaronson
Leeds’ other failed players are becoming as ineffective as quickly as Aaronson at the top end of Falke’s pitch and they too need to be taken off the flanks.
The German head coach used Lucas Nmeka on the left wing and Dominic Calvert-Lewin in the middle as his main centre-forwards against the Bees, but it was the latter who looked the worst of the two.
Despite playing in a relatively unfamiliar position, Nmeka did an excellent job of posing a threat from wide positions, recording one shot on target and creating one chance up the pitch.
vs brentford | completion | Calvert Lewin |
|---|---|---|
minutes | 69 | 90 |
touch | 26 | twenty three |
shot on target | 1 | 1 |
An opportunity has arisen | 1 | 0 |
Pass accuracy | 80% | 58% |
Total path | 12 | 7 |
loss of ownership | 8 times | 11 times |
Calvert-Lewin, on the other hand, did not create a single chance for his team-mates during his 90 minutes on the pitch, completing only 58% of his attempted passes and was unable to connect the Whites effectively.
The England international has now failed to score in six games in all competitions and has only scored once in his last 10 games for Leeds, in a 3-1 win over Nottingham Forest.
Calvert-Lewin has eight goals in nine games over the last 10 games, which, like Aaronson, shows that his form has declined significantly since the winter.
Unfortunately, Aaronson and Calvert-Lewin look equally ineffective at the top end of the pitch at the moment due to their lack of goal contribution in the Premier League, which has contributed to the team failing to score in their last four league games.
Both players haven’t performed well in terms of quality in front of goal over the past 10 games or so, so Falke will ultimately need to drop them both to give others a chance to shine.
Noah Okafor and Joel Pillow were both substitutes in the 0-0 draw with Brentford, but both were so ineffective that they should be given a chance to see if they can offer more than Aaronson and Calvert-Lewin.
Nmeka should retain his place considering he outclassed the English striker against the Bees, while Piroue and Okafor should join the front three against United in the next Premier League game.
Leeds move into pole position after signing Wolves’ desired title-winning midfielder last year
Yorkshire is his most likely destination.
