One of the essential qualities of Pascal Struijk’s game is his passing. In the 2-0 win over Cardiff City, the defender set a Championship record this season with an eye-popping stat.
The Leeds defense is off to a good start, recording four clean sheets in their first seven matches across all competitions. Additionally, a ranking from the Football League World has Struijk as the best defender in the Championship.
“Calmness and composure personified, with his early season performances solidifying him as the Championship’s outstanding centre-back already, Pascal Struijk is fully deserving of top spot in this list.”
“The Dutchman is one of the Championship’s most underrated players in any position, even by his own fanbase at times, but is elegant and classy with the ball at his feet. Not only that, but he is able to bully and dominate physical battles, and will score his fair share of goals as well this season.”
Pascal Struijk sets Championship record this season
While he’s getting a lot of credit for his defensive skills, the 25-year-old has more to offer. He’s actually one of the top passers in the Championship this season.
Against the Bluebirds, WhoScored spotlighted that Struijk made 118 accurate passes in Leeds’ win at Cardiff on Saturday, a record in a Championship match this season.
Pascal Struijk made 118 accurate passes in @LUFC's 2-0 win at Cardiff on Saturday, a record in a Championship match this season. 🎯 pic.twitter.com/cGbpPXkEUd
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) September 22, 2024
The passing from Struijk shouldn’t be too much of a surprise as FotMob recently noted that he is currently ranked second in passing accuracy in the Championship. These numbers are from a few days ago and should be updated soon, but at the time, the platform noted that he averages 76.3 successful passes per game this season.
In his four appearances, he boasts an impressive pass success rate of 93.3 percent. The only player ahead of him is Burnley’s Conrad Egan-Riley, who has a slightly higher rate at 94.4 percent, averaging 88.1 passes per game, although he didn’t make the squad for the last match.
Leeds is now shifting their focus to another struggling team in the Championship: Coventry City. It will be interesting to see if Struijk can maintain this performance into next week to help the Whites secure another three points.
Would be nice if you could spell defence correctly!