Leeds United will aim to stroll to yet another win on Saturday when near Yorkshire neighbours Rotherham United make the swift journey to Elland Road, the Whites full of confidence currently in both the Championship and FA Cup.
Beating Plymouth Argyle 4-1 on their travels saw Daniel Farke’s men show their class in the Cup, whilst a gritty 1-0 win last time out in the second tier away at Bristol City demonstrated Leeds’ hunger and fight to push on for automatic promotion.
Mateo Joseph failed to ever really get going up top in the Pilgrims away day hammering despite the goals flowing late on, and considering Patrick Bamford also didn’t really offer much as well as a second-half substitute, Farke could be tempted to experiment with who he chooses as his lone striker for the clash with Leam Richardson’s basement club.
Mateo Joseph’s game vs Plymouth in numbers
The promising Joseph wasn’t at the races whatsoever in the demolition job Leeds managed to dish out to Plymouth in extra-time, hauled off by Farke with the game still finely poised at 1-1.
Joseph would hit the woodwork with one of his three efforts on goal, but it was still a lacklustre display from a player who should be grasping the opportunity to be in the Leeds first-team mix with more vigour.
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Mateo Joseph’s numbers vs Plymouth |
|
|---|---|
|
Minutes played |
81 |
|
Touches |
32 |
|
Accurate passes |
13/21 (66%) |
|
Shots on goal |
3 |
|
Duels won |
4/11 |
|
Possession lost |
12x |
|
Stats by Sofascore |
|
As you can see, it was a night to forget for Joseph in Devon.
Farke was, therefore, thankful for the likes of Crysencio Summerville and Georginio Rutter showing the sub-par 20-year-old how it’s done late on with two game-clinching strikes finding the back of the net from the spellbinding duo.
With Bamford also not really offering a lot in a brief cameo at Home Park either – only amassing 17 touches of the ball from a flat 49-minute spell – Joe Gelhardt could well be encouraged by his fellow strikers misfiring if Farke feels like making a bold call for this weekend’s game against the Millers.
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Forgotten man could start versus Rotherham
If there’s ever a game for Farke to fearlessly chop and change his starting Xi, it could well be this coming Saturday with Rotherham rooted to the foot of the division on a pitiful 19 points.
As such, Joe Gelhardt – who was touted to be the next best thing at Leeds after breaking into the first team under Marcelo Bielsa – could come into the side. Indeed, he was a bright spark for the travelling Whites down in Devon on Wednesday.
Gelhardt would win one more duel than Bamford in the contest when introduced into the game in the 81st minute, whilst also hitting the woodwork in similar fashion to Joseph but from one less effort.
The fading £15k per week man, who has only started two games this season for the promotion-chasing Whites, could well be gifted a rare opportunity from the get-go off the back of such a lively substitute offering at Home Park.
Gelhardt scoring three senior goals from 50 appearances also puts him ahead of Joseph, the Leeds U21 hotshot yet to find the back of the net in the first-team fold in contrast.
Whilst the likes of Rutter and Summerville continue to fire on all cylinders, Farke could look to tweak with his sole striker position subtly with both Joseph and Bamford barely threatening away at Plymouth.
Gelhardt would well reignite his faltering Whites career as a result, Rotherham potentially on the ropes further with the pacey and tenacious centre-forward being let loose.
