Leeds United have the opportunity to cut the gap between themselves and Ipswich Town in second to within single digits at Elland Road this afternoon.
The Whites are currently ten points behind the Tractor Boys and would be seven points off the automatic promotion places with a victory today.
Ipswich then play host to league-leaders Leicester City on Boxing Day and this means that Leeds could be four points off second if results go their way within the next four days.
Daniel Farke’s side are chasing automatic promotion back to the Premier League after the club was relegated from the top-flight at the end of last season.
A win against Kieran McKenna’s men would be a huge boost to their hopes of sneaking into the top two before the end of the current campaign and the head coach could look to make some changes to his XI.
Latest Leeds team news
Ahead of this clash with Ipswich, Farke has provided an injury update on his squad as three players have been ruled out and two could return.
Versatile full-backs Jamie Shackleton, Stuart Dallas, and Sam Byram are all unavailable for selection as they deal with their respective injury issues. Phil Hay reported that Byram and Shackleton are both expected to be out of action until the turn of the year.
It was not all bad news, though, as it was also revealed that Ian Poveda, who was on international duty with Colombia, and Junior Firpo, who has returned to training following his injury issue, are both set to be in contention to feature.
Farke has also revealed that supporters can expect to see rotation in the team over the next few games as Leeds look to navigate the tricky festive period.
The congestion of games means that players have a lot of work to get through and resting and rotating the squad can help to avoid muscle injuries and fatigue heading into 2024.
With this in mind, Farke must now finally unleash winger Jaidon Anthony from the start over Daniel James, who has struggled over the last two games.
Dan James’ last two performances in numbers
The Wales international played the full 90 minutes against Coventry last time out and failed to make an impact at the top end of the pitch as Leeds failed to win.
He was provided with 0.40 xG worth of chances by his teammates but failed to hit the back of the net and missed one ‘big chance’ in the process.
The former Manchester United forward only created one chance for his teammates and failed with all eight of his attempted crosses on the right flank.
That disappointing display came off the back of his struggles against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light in the club’s previous match – a 1-0 loss on Wearside.
James did not register a single key pass or shot on goal in 75 minutes of action and also failed with all three of his attempted crosses on the night.
This means that the Leeds forward has produced zero goals and one key pass in 165 minutes of football, to go along with one ‘big chance’ missed and zero created, over the last two Championship games.
James’ season in numbers
His last two performances have been off-colour in comparison to his form throughout the campaign as the winger has been impressive this season.
James had managed seven goals, four assists, and eight ‘big chances’ created in 15 league starts prior to those clashes with Sunderland and Coventry.
The Welsh whiz has averaged 1.8 key passes per game throughout the season so far in 20 appearances as he has showcased his ability to score and create goals on a regular basis from the flank.
His impressive displays have seen him become a consistent starter on the right of the attack for Farke but the busy festive schedule appears to have taken a toll on his displays, as evidenced by his poor statistics over the last two games.
Therefore, it could make sense to ditch him from the starting XI for this clash with Ipswich as Leeds will need energy and players who are fresh and ready to make an impact in such an important match.
This could open the door for Anthony to finally be unleashed as the young winger has the potential to be a key player for the Whites and this could be the game that he makes a name for himself in.
The statistics that show why Anthony should start
Leeds signed the attacker on loan from Premier League side Bournemouth over the summer but he has only started two league matches for the club so far.
His last start came against Stoke back in October and the talented gem created two chances and completed three of his five attempted dribbles in 71 minutes.
Despite that impressive outing, Anthony is still waiting for his third start of the 2023/24 Championship campaign and it could come this afternoon.
James has not done enough in the last two clashes to suggest that he deserves to keep his place and the Cherries loanee does have an excellent track record in the division.
He was promoted with Bournemouth at the end of the 2021/22 campaign and caught the eye with his terrific performances on the flank that term.
Anthony vs att. midfielders/wingers in Championship 2021/22 | |
|---|---|
Statistic (per 90) | Percentile rank (via FBref) |
Progressive passes (5.59) | Top 5% |
Expected Assisted Goals (0.25) | Top 10% |
Shot-creating actions (4.26) | Top 8% |
Progressive passes received (9.19) | Top 6% |
Blocks (1.61) | Top 2% |
As you can see in the table above, Anthony was a fantastic creative talent throughout the season with his ability to conjure up shooting opportunities for his teammates at an impressive rate.
He ended the campaign with a sublime return of eight goals, seven assists, and 17 ‘big chances’ created in 38 league starts for the Cherries.
His former boss Scott Parker once described him as a player who goes “under the radar” and that has certainly been the case at Leeds as the 6 foot wizard is yet to really burst onto the scene in Yorkshire.
Farke must now finally unleash Anthony from the start against Ipswich to allow him to shine in a Whites shirt by using his creativity to contribute to what will, hopefully, be a crucial victory for the club.
