Leeds United are in action for the first time in 2025 this afternoon as they prepare to welcome Blackburn Rovers to Elland Road in the Championship.
The Whites are currently sat at the top of the second tier table, two points ahead of Sheffield United, and will remain in that position if they secure all three points today.
Daniel Farke’s side head into this game off the back of a 1-0 win over Derby County at Pride Park, thanks to a late goal from Brenden Aaronson, in their last outing of 2024.
The West Yorkshire outfit will also be heading into this match hoping for revenge after they were beaten 1-0 by Blackburn at Ewood Park earlier this season.
Todd Cantwell, who won two Championship titles with Farke at Norwich, scored a penalty, that was given away by Ao Tanaka, to win the match for the home side on that day.
In order to get that revenge, the German tactician could make some changes to the starting line-up that was selected against Derby last time out, starting with a change at the top end of the pitch in the centre-forward position.
Why Joel Piroe should be unleashed
Farke opted to go with Spain U21 international Mateo Joseph as the starting striker against the Ram, and he failed to make the most of his opportunity to impress in his 71 minutes on the pitch.
The academy graduate, who has now scored two goals in 11 starts this season, was given the chance to show that he deserves more game time and starts heading into the second half of the season.
Instead, Joseph, perhaps, showed exactly why Joel Piroe has been preferred ahead of him at various points, as his performance left a lot to be desired on Sunday.
He lost nine of his ten duels throughout the match and failed to find the target with any of his three efforts on goal, which shows that the forward struggled with the physicality of the game and was wasteful with the chances that came his way in the final third.
Minutes
71
19
xG
0.54
0.00
Goals
0
0
Big chances created
0
1
Assists
0
1
Duels won
1/10
0/3
As you can see in the table above, Piroe did more – creating the goal for Aaronson with a brilliant lay-off on the edge of the box – in his 19 minutes on the pitch than Joseph did in the first 71.
This is why Farke must drop the Spanish centre-forward and bring the Dutchman, who has scored nine goals in 14 starts in the division this season, back into the starting line-up.
Joseph is not the only player who should be ditched from the XI, however, as the German boss must also instantly bin Largie Ramazani from the team after his display against Derby.
Largie Ramazani's performance against Derby
The Belgian forward was brought into the starting line-up against the Rams for the first time since he missed five matches with an ankle injury from October to November.
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Ramazani had produced three goals and one assist in his previous six starts in the Championship for Leeds, having joined on a permanent deal from Almeria in the summer transfer window.
Farke handed him an opportunity to add to that impressive return of goal contributions as a starter in the clash at Pride Park, but he looked like a player who has not played much football of late – due to his injury – with a disappointing performance.
Minutes
71
Shots
3
Big chances missed
1
Duels won
4/10
Possession lost
19x
Big chances created
0
As you can see in the table above, Ramazani missed his only ‘big chance’ in front of goal and did not create any high-quality opportunities for his teammates.
Losing possession 19 times in 71 minutes without producing a goal or an assist for his side shows that the Belgian attacker was wasteful on the ball throughout the game, which is why he should be instantly dropped from the XI.
Taking the 23-year-old dynamo out of the line-up would also provide Farke with the chance to bring Tottenham Hotspur loanee Manor Solomon back into the team.
Why Manor Solomon should start
The Israel international came on for Ramazani with 19 minutes left to play at Pride Park and produced an exciting cameo with his creative quality on the left flank, cutting in onto his right foot.
Solomon created two ‘big chances’ and completed one of his two attempted dribbles in those 19 minutes, as he pushed to help Leeds to secure all three points.
He also played a key role in the winning goal from Aaronson. It was his sharp turn on the edge of the box and pass to Piroe that teed up the Dutchman to provide the assist for the American goalscorer.
Solomon had a slow start to life at Elland Road, with zero goals and one assist in his first eight appearances in the Championship, but has stepped it up of late to become a productive member of the attack for Farke in recent weeks.
Appearances
17
Starts
8
xG
2.95
Goals
3
Big chances created
6
Assists
3
As you can see in the table above, the 25-year-old star has produced nine goals and ‘big chances’ created in 17 appearances in the division, with two of those ‘big chances’ coming against Derby.
The forward, who recently scored and provided two assists against Oxford, was described as “unplayable” by ex-Leeds boss Neil Redfearn earlier this season, who described his dribbling skills as “like tackling smoke” for opposition defenders.
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Unplayable is just the word for his recent form and that is why Farke should bring him back into the starting line-up for today’s clash with Blackburn, as he has offered more at the top end of the pitch than Ramazani did in his disappointing showing against the Rams.