Joel Piroe did his chances of forcing his way back into the Leeds United starting lineup no harm at all on Saturday, with the Dutchman scoring the goal which sealed the three points away at Cardiff City.
It has been a difficult season so far for Joel Piroe, with his only league start coming in the goalless draw with West Brom as Georginio Rutter closed in on leaving Elland Road in the summer transfer window. Unfortunately, his performance at the Hawthorns certainly suggested that he was not going to be the player to replace Georginio.
Piroe’s limitations as a striker prompted Daniel Farke to hand Mateo Joseph his chance at the start of the season. And the Spaniard has definitely looked bright at times, scoring in the win over Hull City and providing an outrageous assist in the victory at Sheffield Wednesday. Joseph’s three assists this season makes him the only Leeds player with more than one so far.
But Piroe also scored in the win over Hull, and it was his goal which wrapped up the three points in the Welsh capital this weekend. So Farke perhaps faces a bit of a dilemma while Joseph is developing and learning his trade.
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The 20-year-old looked bright in the first-half at Cardiff, and set Largie Ramazani on his way for his brilliantly-taken goal.
Piroe’s contribution off the bench cannot be ignored. And with that, Jon Newsome has told BBC Radio Leeds (broadcast on 21/9; 17:17) that Farke may be best utilising both players from now on.
“Piroe, I don’t know, he’s had a few games at the end of last season, he’s had a couple of games this season where he’s not played so well. Yes, he’s a good finisher, I think he’s a great finisher,” he said.
“Yes, they were playing him as a 10. But is he a nine? Does he lead the line well enough? And what I would say is Mateo Joseph hasn’t scored today, but I thought he still had a decent game. I don’t think he’s played poorly today, I think he’s had a decent game.
“I don’t know if Piroe’s physical enough to lead the line like a nine is. I tell you what I’d like to see, I’d like to see us play with two strikers, I’d like us to play with a Mateo Joseph and a Piroe, you don’t have to play with a 10. You can play with two strikers up there.”
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What can be frustrating for Leeds fans is the fact that Farke so rarely deviates from his plan A – and the Whites are arguably not playing well enough to give supporters confidence that that plan is going to work better than last season.
So in truth, there appears to be very little chance of Farke using Piroe and Joseph as a front two in the weeks ahead. Should Piroe return to the side, he will most likely come in as a replacement for Joseph or as more of a number 10.
But the suggestion does highlight how many want Leeds to really take the handbrake off more often. Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev obviously give the side so much stability, but neither look particularly dangerous in the final third.
There are definitely times when Leeds would benefit from having more options in attack, particularly when you consider how hard Joseph is working and how lethal Piroe can be in front of goal.
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