A frustrating afternoon at Elland Road saw Daniel Farke and Leeds United come unstuck once again against a John Eustace side, as The Whites drew with Blackburn.
Leeds had come into the game expecting to beat Eustace and Blackburn after three wins in a row, and The Whites winning 10 of their 12 games at Elland Road this season. But, the game ended in a 1-1 draw.
Leeds were limited to half chances throughout the game, with Brenden Aaronson curling an effort just over the bar and Dan James some how failing to get on the end of a brilliant Manor Solomon cross.
James had a free-kick, but planted a tame effort straight at the goalkeeper and then finally, Pascal Struijk scored a penalty on 91 minutes after Mateo Joseph had been fouled only for Blackburn to equalise.
The stats show Dan James endured his worst display this season
In a way, that shows how good Dan James has been this season. The Welsh speed machine has been on fire when fit, scoring against Sheffield Wednesday, Plymouth Argyle, Luton, Middlesbrough and Oxford.
But on Saturday, James looked ineffective and it was a shock to many that he was not taken off. Indeed, Tony Dorigo was stunned Manor Solomon was replaced by Wilfried Gnonto, instead of the £25m signing.
It is difficult to remember James being so ineffective as he came up against former Liverpool left-back Owen Beck and the stats show that James really struggled to get the better of his opponent on Saturday.
Dan James’ stats for Leeds United in draw against Blackburn
A rating of 6.1 from FotMob tells you all you need to know. Only one Leeds player had worse and that was sub Patrick Bamford, who’s only contribution was holding the ball for Struijk to take the penalty.
Dan James’ stats vs Blackburn:
- 90 mins played, 0 goals and 0 assists (0.23 XG+A)
- Two shots off target, 2 successful crosses, nine unsuccessful crosses
- 22 passes completed, six passes misplaced
- Dispossessed three times, six duels (out of nine) lost
- One defensive action all match, 1 foul committed
It is certainly not good reading. For nine of his 11 crosses to fail to find a teammate is particularly poor, especially for a player that is best when taking on a full-back, reaching the byline, and crossing the ball.
James seemed to lack a bit of fight and perhaps, even rhythm having been benched in the win against Derby. A game in which James came off the bench, only to miss a sitter moments after entering the fray.
If Leeds are to go and get themselves promoted automatically this season, then they really need James to be firing on all cylinders. Hopefully, this is just a blip and he can return to his brilliant best in no time.
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