Illan Meslier’s errors against Swansea City have attracted all the headlines towards the Frenchman. However, several Leeds United players were poor against the Swans and have struggled for form in recent games, which is evident from the results.
A few in the Leeds United squad should thank their lucky stars that all the criticism has been directed toward Meslier because of his obvious mistakes while some of them are managing to escape scrutiny.
Ethan Ampadu looked physically not ready to play against Swansea City, and Manor Solomon has gone seven games without making a goal contribution amidst talk of Leeds wanting to sign him on a permanent deal.
There are a few more Leeds players in the team who need to take a long hard look at their performances and ask whether they have done enough in recent games.
And one of them is surely Joel Piroe.
The Leeds United star has missed some sitters in recent games
Piroe is Leeds’ top scorer this season with 15 goals and is in the running to win the Championship Golden Boot this season.
However, he has not scored in his last five appearances since the goal in the win over Sheffield United in February. Leeds have won just one of those five games.
Piroe has missed some sitters in the last few games, and when he is not scoring, the forward can be hard to watch because of his languid style up front.
With the team struggling for form, the fans want the Dutchman to scrap and fight and get the goals to ensure Leeds get over the line in certain tough games.
However, the forward has not stepped up to the mark and is gradually becoming another problem for Farke to solve ahead of the remaining seven games of the season.
What can Farke do? Not much, to be honest
The reality is Leeds’ options in the striker department are embarrassing for a team fighting to get promoted to the Premier League this season.
Farke has been forced to just depend on Piroe as the other options in his squad are either not good enough or fit enough to play for the Whites.
Mateo Joseph started the season as the first-choice striker, but it became apparent soon that he is not yet ready to carry that burden; he has scored three goals this term.
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Patrick Bamford has spent more time on the treatment table this season than on the pitch and is no longer physically equipped to play for the Whites.
Farke could opt to introduce Joseph’s energy to the frontline at Luton, but it won’t be surprising if Piroe again starts as the number 9 on Saturday.
