Leeds United face off against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light this evening as they look to close the gap on the top two in the Championship.
The Whites are currently third and seven points behind Ipswich Town in second place ahead of this week’s matches and they will be hoping that the Tractor Boys slip up and allow them to move closer with a win on Wearside.
Daniel Farke’s side head into this match off the back of a 2-0 win over Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park last time out, as goals from Dan James and Crysencio Summerville secured the victory.
The German tactician could, however, make changes to his starting XI as Leeds enter the busy festive schedule of matches that could cause fatigue and muscle injuries.
One player whose performances have dipped of late and could benefit from being moved aside for this game is French centre-forward Georgino Rutter, and that could open the door for Mateo Joseph to finally be unleashed.
The statistics that show why Rutter should be dropped
The 21-year-old magician has enjoyed a phenomenal season for Leeds, with four goals and 16 ‘big chances’ created in 18 Championship starts, but his last two outings have left a lot to be desired.
Against Middlesbrough, the former Hoffenheim man missed one ‘big chance, made zero key passes, lost eight of his 15 duels, and only completed 43% of his attempted passes in 82 minutes on the pitch.
Rutter followed that up with one ‘big chance’ missed, one key pass, and a pass success rate of 78% against Blackburn, although his one chance created did allow James to open the scoring.
The talented youngster also failed in a staggering 11 of his 12 attempted dribbles and lost 19 of his 26 duels throughout the match at Ewood Park.
These statistics suggest that the France U21 international is far from at his best and may need a rest, which could open the door for Joseph.
The statistics that show why Joseph should start
The U21 starlet came off the bench against Blackburn for his first senior appearance of the campaign and the head coach must finally unleash him from the start tonight.
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The first-team forward has endured a frustrating season for Daniel Farke’s side so far.
Joseph has been a prolific scorer at youth team level for the Whites since the start of last season and could thrive off the services that someone like Crysencio Summerville could provide him with.
The Dutch winger has created ten ‘big chances’ and made 2.9 key passes per game across 17 Championship outings and could, therefore, unlock Sunderland’s defence to provide the striker with the opportunities he needs to find the back of the net.
Joseph, who former U21 boss Michael Skubala once hailed as “fantastic” and a “threat”, has plundered 17 goals and three assists in 23 Premier League 2 matches since the start of the 2022/23 campaign.
The 5 foot 11 marksman has been a regular scorer for the U21s and has seemingly done enough to impress Farke in training, hence his cameo against Blackburn.
Therefore, due to Rutter’s poor performances over the last two games, the England U20 international must finally be unleashed from the start against the Black Cats.
