One Leeds United hero went completely under the radar in the draw against Brentford after Dominic Calvert-Lewin dominated the conversation after the game.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin took his overall goal tally for the season to five as he scored in his fourth consecutive game for Leeds in their battling draw against Brentford.
However, several Leeds players produced strong performances at the G-Tech Community Stadium, with Ben Mee praising Anton Stach in the midfield.
Centre-back Joe Rodon singled out Jaka Bijol for his man-marking job on Igor Thiago, as Leeds kept one of the in-form strikers in the Premier League quiet.
But the stats from the game show that their fellow defender, Pascal Struijk, deserves more credit for his performance, as his significant contribution went unnoticed in a well-deserved draw for Leeds.
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Pascal Struijk was the unsung hero for Leeds United v Brentford
While most of the post-match discourse was dominated by Calvert-Lewin’s goalscoring exploits, Pascal Struijk deserved immense credit for his performance at the heart of the Leeds defence.
Struijk excelled against Chelsea, man-marking centre forward Liam Delap out of the game, and reprised the role again against Liverpool.
However, with Bijol’s physicality used to dominate Thiago in the air, Struijk reverted to a more typical defensive role against the Bees and showed all of his class with another assured performance.
Struijk was awarded an 8.1 rating and named as the FotMob man of the match. According to the stats from the game, the Dutchman made 20 defensive contributions, the most by any Leeds player in a single game this season.
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Of the 20 contributions that Struijk made, 10 of them were successful duels, the most of any player on the pitch, winning five ground duels and five aerial duels, and 14 clearances. Struijk also made four tackles and one block.
But his contribution was not limited to the Leeds defence, as he also took 84 touches of the ball, the most of any Leeds player, and made a total of 48 successful passes, also the most in a Leeds shirt.
Strong performances could push Pascal Struijk into the World Cup picture
Struijk is a versatile defender, having filled in at left-back under Jesse Marsch and in the midfield under Marcelo Bielsa, and he has proven this again by slotting in at left centre-back under Farke.
Although Struijk featured for Leeds in the Premier League in their last spell in the top-flight, he is now showing that he belongs at this level as part of an improving Leeds side.
Struijk has previously admitted to moving his wedding to ensure he is available for this summer’s World Cup, as he looks to catch the eye of Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman, who last came to watch him in 2023.
If Struijk continues to perform at the level he produced against Brentford, it may be impossible to ignore his case for selection much longer.
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