Leeds United strolled back to the top of the Championship table with a relatively comfortable 2-0 win for Daniel Farke’s side over Norwich City at Elland Road on Wednesday night.
The Whites got the game off to the best possible start when they found the back of the net within the opening 30 seconds, thanks to Manor Solomon scoring from Dan James’ cross from the right.
Solomon then turned provider for the second goal in the second half when his cross to the back post found the Wales international, who volleyed into the far corner.
Despite the scoreline and decent performance from the West Yorkshire outfit overall, there were some disappointing performers and one of them was Brenden Aaronson.
Brenden Aaronson's performance against Norwich
The USA international was an injury doubt ahead of the match and that knock may have affected his sharpness in this game, as the attacking midfielder struggled at times.
Aaronson had a big opportunity to create something in the first half when he was released through on goal on the right side of the box but decided to go down without any contact from goalkeeper Angus Gunn, gifting the Canaries a goal kick.
The former RB Salzburg man also failed with both of his attempted dribbles and did not register a single shot on goal throughout the match, although he did create two chances for his teammates and was not rewarded with an assist.
Aaronson, who lost seven of his nine duels in the game, will be hoping for more success in the final third next time out, after, hopefully, overcoming his knock to regain his sharpness at the top end of the pitch.
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Whilst it was a disappointing display from the American midfielder, Joel Piroe was even worse than the ex-Union Berlin man and should be ruthlessly ditched by Farke.
Why Joel Piroe should be dropped
The Dutch striker has looked a little bit off the pace in the last two games at Elland Road, failing to offer much at the top end of the pitch against Sheffield Wednesday or Norwich.
In this clash with the Canaries, Piroe lost 80% (4/5) of his physical duels on the night, as Callum Doyle and Shane Duffy found it far too easy to muscle him out of the match.
He also failed to score from any of his four shots on goal and did not create any chances for his teammates, completing just 71% of his attempted passes, which speaks to his lack of effectiveness in the final third.
Aaronson, at the very least, created two chances for his teammates and looked to provide a spark for his team at the top end of the pitch, whilst Piroe was wasteful with his shots and sloppy in possession.
Minutes
70
90
Shots
3
4
Goals
0
0
Key passes
1
0
Duels won
3/7
1/5
As you can see in the table above, the former Swansea man has struggled in the last two matches and that is why Farke should ruthlessly drop him from the line-up.
Mateo Joseph should be raring to go after a period on the bench and could come back into the side motivated to prove to the manager that he deserves more minutes.
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1 ByDan EmeryJan 22, 2025