Leeds United could well err on the side of caution when it comes to playing Georginio Rutter today, the exciting Frenchman undergoing a hernia operation in the international break and could be deemed too fragile to start away at Watford consequently.
The Whites should still have enough explosive talent at their disposal to get the better of a Watford side now managed by Tom Cleverley on an interim basis regardless, with the Hornets dismissing yet another manager recently in the form of Valerien Ismael.
Daniel Farke could decide to chop and change his XI not just to accommodate for Rutter being rested however, with Daniel James clamouring for a place back in his manager’s lineup after a lively cameo against Millwall last time out.
Daniel James’ performance vs Millwall in numbers
James’ goal late from off the bench ensured Leeds didn’t fall victim to any late scares at Elland Road against Neil Harris’ away side, cruising to a 2-0 win over the Lions in the end.
But, it wasn’t just his strike in isolation that caught the eye from his impactful 21 minutes on the pitch.
James would manage to pull off two key passes from just six attempted when coming on in place of Wilfried Gnonto, on top of hitting the woodwork with another effort to nearly hand himself a brace from so little time in the thick of the action.
It feels like a no-brainer to give James a run-out from minute one away at Watford therefore, with Gnonto failing to impress against the Lions away from his blinding strike that opened the scoring.
The ex-FC Zurich man would just register 31 touches, eight fewer than Whites goalkeeper Illan Meslier in the 2-0 win, and so could be axed for James to put in a lightning-quick shift against Watford to try and catch the Hornets out instead.
Joel Piroe could also have the reward of being drafted into Farke’s XI for the trip to Hertfordshire, with the ex-Swansea City man fading into the background in recent weeks despite starring in patches this season for his title-chasing side.
Joel Piroe could be Georginio Rutter’s replacement
If Rutter is told to sit out the trip down to Vicarage Road, Farke could do far worse than reintroducing Piroe into the first team fold in his place.
Surprisingly, despite having 11 goals next to his name for the season and boasting the tag of being “clinical” by football journalist Josh Bunting, the 6 foot 1 attacker has found himself out of his manager’s first-team plans as of late owing to a revitalised Patrick Bamford becoming key again.
Yet, although his goal record suggests he’s more of a prolific striker than a number ten, Piroe has excelled in this spot behind the striker this season for Farke’s men away from being just a conventional centre-forward presence.
One of the last times the Dutchman played in this attacking midfield slot was against Ipswich Town in December, where Piroe got in on the goalscoring act in a comprehensive 4-0 drubbing of Kieran McKenna’s men.
Away from that strike, Piroe was calm and measured on the ball at points too with one key pass managed in the big victory.
Joel Piroe’s stats by position this season – 2023/24
Position
Games played
Goals
Assists
CAM
21
8
1
ST
10
4
1
SS
2
0
0
Sourced by Transfermarkt
Looking at the table above, despite the £15k-per-week man playing 74 of his 96 games predominantly as a striker at former employers Swansea, he excels being played in a more creative role for Farke’s men.
With the season hurtling towards a number of crucial contests, every player will have to be at their peak for the run-in which could see Farke make changes accordingly to keep his impressive Whites side fresh and up for the task of returning straight back to the Premier League.
