Leeds United Go to the top of championship The team sits second on goal difference on Boxing Day with a relatively comfortable 2-0 win over Stoke away from home.
The Whites took all three points thanks to a brace from Joel Piro, who scored twice in each half, and are now in control of their future, as the lead at the top of the division is now gone.
Daniel Fark He will certainly be pleased that his side put in a solid performance, keeping a clean sheet, while also posing a potent attacking threat.
Midfield balance played a huge role in the team's overall performance, and Joe Rothwell shone for the Whites with his performances in midfield.
Joe Rothwell's performance against Stoke
The on-loan Bournemouth player was selected to play against Japanese international Ao Tanaka and justified his selection alongside Ethan Ampadu with an impressive performance.
Rothwell showed his quality on and off the ball to prevent Stoke from building attacks, as well as his ability to dictate play to develop his team's play.
The English midfielder won Four of his five Duels, he made three tackles, and was not dribbled over once, showing that he outplayed Stoke players more often than not in defensive situations, to keep Illane Meslier quiet.
In possession, the experienced maestro also completed the move 94% (78/83) of his pass attempts He created two chances, showing that he provided reliability and creativity on the ball.
Performance in numbers
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So, Rothwell was a fantastic player as a midfielder, but his performance perhaps drew attention away from centre-back Pascal Struijk, who was the unsung hero in 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 the defenders, with heavy fog limiting visibility on the pitch, but the Dutch giants put in an excellent display.
Narcissus Belach's side only He had 25% possessiondespite playing at home, on the night, meaning they were often looking for the longer pass in an attempt to relieve the pressure that Leeds were putting on them with their dominant play.
Therefore, Farke needed a player to step up and win aerial duels to prevent Stoke from winning passes and second balls to get back into the game, and that's what Struijk did.
|
against Stoke |
Joe Rodon |
Pascal Strojek |
|---|---|---|
|
minutes |
90 |
90 |
|
Duels won |
3 |
8 |
|
Aerial duel success rate |
0% |
73% |
|
Touches |
104 |
110 |
|
Approvals |
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, while his centre-back partner failed to win a single aerial duel or clear the ball on the night.
These stats demonstrate Struijk's dominance at centre-back and show that he kept his team ahead by winning most of those crucial aerial battles and preventing the home side from getting back into the contest.
So, the left-footer was an unsung hero for Real that night because he did the dirty work that probably went unnoticed.
