Only Sunderland have scored more goals than Leeds United in the Championship so far this season.
The Whites have managed to find their groove in front of goal over the last few weeks with Burnley the only side to have stopped Leeds scoring since the September international break.
Daniel Farke’s side have had quite an even spread of goals across the squad in comparison to last season, when they were extremely reliant on the front four.
Of course, the bulk of the goals have once again come from Leeds’ attackers, but Pascal Struijk, Junior Firpo and Jayden Bogle have all managed to chip in from the back too.
However, midfield is the one area that remains a little dry in terms of goals, which is a similar story to last season.
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Farke tells Joe Rothwell where to improve
Leeds’ midfield options underwent somewhat of an overhaul in the summer and a lot of that was down to the lack of goals from that position.
Not a single one of Leeds’ midfielders found the back of the net in the Championship and that is one of the reasons they were happy to let Glen Kamara go.
Joe Rothwell and Ao Tanaka were both brought into address that problem but have been forced to adapt their game in recent weeks, as both holding midfielders Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev are out long-term.
Out of the two, Rothwell is the one with more license to get forward. Considering how well both played against Sheffield United, it does feel like a partnership that is working.
However, speaking in his pre-Watford press conference on Monday, Farke has told the ‘talented‘ Rothwell he can ‘chip in’ with more goals, despite not showing it so far.
He said: “Of course, he is a different player and we know what he is capable of, he can be a goal threat, he hasn’t shown this so much but he has had a few shots and I think he can chip in with some goals.
“We are all happy that we have him. He can make your game even more fluent then perhaps anyone else in this position.”
What Farke has told Rothwell and Ao Tanaka at Leeds
Alongside his demand for Rothwell to score more, Farke was also asked about the message has given both the Bournemouth loanee and Tanaka in his presser.
He once again reiterated Leeds cannot mould them into Ampadu-type midfielders, but believes their other attributes on the ball is what can make them a success.
He said: “We can’t make other players out of them and I don’t want this, we want to use their skills, they are tidy on the ball with imagination and creativity going forward and also breaking the lines of the ball.
“But of course it differs when you go with a different approach so it needs a bit of time. It’s always consistent working, in the last game they got better and better and long may it continue.”
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