Pascal Struijk has ended all debates about his place in the starting eleven with his solid centre-back performances in the last few games. For a while, it appeared that he would be the fall guy at Leeds United to make way for Ethan Ampadu’s return to the starting eleven and he did miss the game against Oxford United. However, the Leeds captain has been moved to midfield and Struijk has started the last two Championship games.
Struijk was one of the players who came under fire at Leeds following their relegation from the Premier League at the end of the 2022/23 season.
The Dutchman struggled in the top flight but has again proved his worth in the Championship and has looked at his imperious best at the heart of the Leeds defence this season.
The 25-year-old has looked the best centre-back in the team this season and has provided the solidity at the back that Leeds need, to mount a promotion campaign back to the Premier League.
He has been so good that Daniel Farke has been forced to continue with the Struijk-Joe Rodon partnership at the back despite Ampadu’s return from a knee injury.
The Leeds captain has been reinstated in the midfield to allow the Dutchman to continue his good run of form at the heart of the Leeds defence.
Struijk will play a key role in the coming months if Leeds are to win back automatic promotion back to the Premier League at the end of the Championship season.
Pascal Struijk proving his worth for Leeds United with his performances
When Pascal Struijk found himself on the bench against Oxford United it appeared that the Dutchman had lost his place in the starting eleven for no fault of his.
Ethan Ampadu played as a centre-back and looked fantastic as Leeds hammered Oxford 4-0 at Elland Road. It seemed that Struijk was now in a fight to get back into the team.
However, Farke had other plans and away at Stoke, Struijk was back in the team with Ampadu replacing Ao Tanaka in the middle of the park for the Whites.
With Leeds’ record away from home not being good, the Leeds boss decided to go with his strongest defence in back-to-back fixtures on the road.
Struijk kept Leeds safe at the back as the Whites beat Stoke 2-0 at the bet365 Stadium and he again produced a strong performance in the 1-0 win at Derby on Sunday evening.
The Dutchman has been consistently proving his detractors wrong with determined performances at the back and has emerged as one of the most important players.
Forwards such as Joel Piroe and Manor Solomon and attacking midfielder Brenden Aaronson are grabbing the limelight but Struijk has been silently performing at the back without any fuss.
Daniel Farke will depend on his consistency for the rest of the season
The Leeds boss likes consistency in selection and loves working with a small group of players rather than with a massive squad.
He has been forced to rotate his squad in recent games due to the gruelling schedule but he will likely focus on a more or less settled line-up following the festive period.
Struijk and Rodon have been his preferred centre-back pairing and it seems, Farke has settled on playing Ampadu in the middle of the park for the rest of the season.
The Leeds captain’s availability gives him more options but he won’t play around with his position in the team unless there is an injury at the back.
Struijk is now expected to play the bulk of the games for the rest of the season at the heart of the Leeds defence as they chase their Premier League dream.
