The past week has shown how good Leeds United can be when they are in full flow. Daniel Farke’s men went to the Vitality stadium and managed to take a point on the road.
After the international break, Leeds played one of their best games of the season at Old Trafford. A dominant first half performance saw them get a 2-1 win against their rivals. The 3-0 win against Wolves at Elland Road was the first home game that the club had comfortably won in over a month. Against Bournemouth, the club showed a lot of resilience, coming from a goal down twice in order to get a draw. The Whites are now nine points above the relegation zone with four games to go.
Graham Smyth praises Leeds star’s performance vs Bournemouth
Wednesday night at the Vitality stadium was not the best attacking performance of the away side. The game saw Leeds do a lot of defending as the Cherries piled on the pressure from the first half. Pascal Struijk was leading the backline by example, getting in the way of anything near the box. Graham Smyth said on the Inside Elland Road podcast that it was the best performance he had seen from the defender this season.
“What really stood out to me in the first half, and in the second half, is how well Pascal Struijk defended the box. It just felt like whenever there was a set piece or a dangerous cross into the area, more often than not, it was his head in the way. I just thought he was superb. I thought this was arguably his best performance of the season, and it all started in the first half.”
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Pascal Struijk could leave Elland Road this summer
Sometimes as a newly promoted club, it is almost inevitable that your best performers will be swooped up in the next season. Pascal Struijk has slowly become one of the better performers in the backline this season. And other clubs have seen this too; per reports, Newcastle United and Aston Villa have shown interest. His contract expires in the next year and if he rejects a new contract, the Whites will have to sell him to avoid losing him for free. The 49ers have to get to work to tie down one of the more important players in this team ahead of next season.
