The one positive Leeds United can take from their 1-0 loss at Millwall is they have a very short turnaround to their next match against Queens Park Rangers.
Defeat at Millwall was just their second in the Championship this season but followed a script that has been seen on too many occasions under Daniel Farke.
Leeds failed to turn their dominance of possession into chances and were undone by Millwall’s only meaningful shot on target from a set-piece at the other end.
Farke unsurprisingly went with the same attack that comfortably defeated Plymouth Argyle last weekend, but it would be fair to say they were a long way from their best at the Den.
Dan James and Wilfried Gnonto were both wasteful out wide, while Joel Piroe also struggled to get into the game against a dominant Millwall centre-back partnership.
Farke should drop Dan James for Leeds vs QPR
You could make a case for Farke dropping all of Leeds’ attackers against QPR but with Largie Ramazani still out, that won’t happen.
However, Farke does need to be more ruthless when it comes to making changes between matches and with such a short turnaround, this is the perfect opportunity.
As mentioned, James was one of Leeds’ worst players on the night and following three successive starts after injury, should come out of the side at Elland Road.
James lost possession 17 times, won just three of 14 duels and completed only two of eight attempted crosses during his 90 minutes on the field at the Den.
He was extremely wasteful whenever he got into decent positions, often cutting inside onto his weaker left-foot and either taking low quality shots, or delivering poor balls into the box.
Manor Solomon should be the man to replace him, with the Tottenham loanee actually completing more dribbles than James in the 18 minutes he got off the bench.
Solomon has rightly been criticised for his displays in recent weeks but looked somewhat brighter at the Den, and should therefore be rewarded with a start.
His introduction into the team would see Gnonto move over to the right, where he has surprisingly performed better this season.
Leeds’ attacking unit missing Largie Ramazani
Leeds have been at their best this season when Ramazani has been in the starting line-up, with his ankle injury coming at the worst possible time.
Ramazani had just helped Leeds into a 2-0 lead inside seven minutes before limping off against Watford, and performances have been pretty limp since.
The 23-year-old’s ability to drift all across the front-line seems to really help the likes of Brenden Aaronson and Gnonto, as they have someone they can rotate positions with and link-up play.
Leeds record with Ramazani starting vs without
| With | Without | |
| Starts | 6 | 8 |
| Wins | 4 | 3 |
| Draws | 2 | 3 |
| Losses | 0 | 2 |
| Goals | 12 | 10 |
| Goals per game | 2 | 1.25 |
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