Leeds United were left frustrated as they missed out on an opportunity to move to within five points of Ipswich Town in second place after their draw with Rotherham.
A win against the Millers last weekend would have cut the gap by three points as the Tractor Boys were beaten 2-0 by West Bromwich Albion on Saturday, which meant that the Whites only gained one point on the automatic promotion places.
Daniel Farke’s side are hunting down the top two as they attempt to make an instant return to the Premier League after being relegated at the end of last season.
One of the driving forces behind their promotion push so far has been the outstanding form of French attacker Georgino Rutter, who registered his sixth assist of the campaign against Rotherham.
Whites left-back Junior Firpo recently hailed him as being “unplayable” and compared him to Paris Saint-Germain and France star Ousmane Dembele, due to them both being effective with both feet.
Ousmane Dembele’s season in numbers
The exciting winger arrived at PSG from Barcelona over the summer and he has caught the eye with his superbly creative performances in Ligue 1.
He has racked up four assists and created five ‘big chances’, to go along with one goal, in nine top-flight starts for the French champions this term.
The left-footed whiz, who is equally adept at using his ‘weaker’ right, has made 2.8 key passes and completed three dribbles per match for PSG.
Dembele, who recorded seven assists and created nine ‘big chances’ in 16 LaLiga starts for Barcelona last season, has proven himself to be a consistent creative threat who can use both feet to split open the opposition’s defence at will.
Farke has unearthed his own version of the France international by developing a system that has allowed Rutter to thrive in Yorkshire as an outstanding creator.
Georgino Rutter’s season in numbers
The January signing from Hoffenheim has been deployed as a dynamic centre-forward by the German head coach, in a role that allows him to drop deep to pick the ball up and make things happen in the final third.
He has the license to drop back and allow Joel Piroe to run beyond him into the number nine position, which means that Rutter is difficult to mark as he could position himself to face up against the centre-back or the central midfielder.
This has resulted in a string of phenomenal performances from the £70k-per-week talent, who has racked up six assists and 16 ‘big chances’ created in 15 Championship starts.
Rutter has made 2.6 key passes and completed 2.3 dribbles per outing for the Whites this season, which speaks to how impressive he has been as both a dribbler and a creator.
The 21-year-old magician has consistently been able to beat opposition players with the ball on either foot and, at the end of his runs, has also been able to create huge opportunities for his teammates to find the back of the net – just as the PSG star has in France.
Farke’s system and tactics have created an environment for the Dembele-esque attacker to thrive at the top end of the pitch and, hopefully, his form will continue throughout the rest of the season as Leeds eye an instant Premier League return.
