Leeds United return to action in the Championship this evening and have the opportunity to move back to the top of the table if they pick up at least a point against Middlesbrough.
They would need rivals Burnley to fail to win, for a point to be enough, and then Sheffield United to slip up against Millwall on Wednesday night, but the Whites should target all three points.
Michael Carrick’s side present a tough challenge for the West Yorkshire outfit, as they have won four of their last six matches in the Championship, and will not come to Elland Road to park the bus.
Boro created two ‘big chances’ to Burnley’s none at Turf Moor last Friday and this shows that they are prepared to head away to one of the promotion challengers and compete on the front foot.
Whereas, Derby County visited Elland Road on Saturday and came with a very clear game plan – to frustrate and disrupt. They ended the game with 37% of the possession and only mustered up three shots, with zero ‘big chances’ created.
Despite a 2-0 win for Leeds in that match, Daniel Farke could look to make some changes to his starting XI and Manor Solomon is one player who could drop out.
Why Manor Solomon must be dropped
The Tottenham Hotspur loanee was selected to start on the left side of the attack but failed to make much of an impact at the top end of the pitch against the Rams at the weekend.
Solomon, as an attacker, is in the team to provide quality in the final third, whether that is by creating high-quality chances for his teammates or by offering a big threat as a goalscorer.
Unfortunately, Leeds supporters have not seen too much quality in either of those facets of his performances since his move to Elland Road in the summer transfer window.
Minutes
68
Shots on target
0
Big chances created
0
Key passes
1
Crosses completed
0/2
As you can see in the table above, the 25-year-old dud failed to offer much to the team in the 2-0 win over Derby, with zero goals and zero ‘big chances’ created in 68 minutes on the pitch on the left flank.
Solomon has only scored two goals in 12 matches in his career for the Whites in the Championship so far, and both of those strikes came in the 4-3 win over Swansea. This means that he has failed to find the back of the net in 11 of his 12 appearances in the league this season.
The Israel international has also registered one assist in those 12 outings, which came on his debut against Hull. This means that he has two goals – both coming in one game – and zero assists in his last 11 league matches for Leeds.
With his lack of output, and his dull performance against Derby, Farke must ruthlessly ditch him from the starting XI against a strong Middlesbrough team.
One option the manager has to bring into the starting line-up is summer signing Largie Ramazani, who was among the substitutes on Saturday.
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Why Largie Ramazani should not start
The Belgian winger picked up an ankle injury in October that caused him to miss five matches in the Championship and he has only played three times in the division since his return.
He came on as a substitute against Luton, Blackburn, and Derby but failed to contribute with a goal or a chance created in any of those cameo appearances.
Ramazani seemingly needs more time to get back up to speed after his absence through injury and that is why Farke must leave him on the bench as a player who could come on to provide energy and skill off the bench in the second half this evening.
Appearances
11
Starts
6
xG
1.98
Goals
3
Assists
1
As you can see in the table above, the 23-year-old forward made a strong start to the season with three goals and one assist in six starts in the second tier, prior to his ankle injury, which suggests that the quality is there for him to make an impact off the bench when he is fully fit.
For tonight’s match against Middlesbrough, though, Farke should look to unleash Italy U21 international Wilfried Gnonto ahead of Manor Solomon on the left flank.
Why Wilfried Gnonto should be unleashed
The former Inter prospect should be brought back into the starting XI for this game because he has the attacking quality to provide more at the top end of the pitch than the Spurs loanee.
Gnonto is a proven Championship performer who can offer a threat as both a scorer and a creator of goals, based on his form since the start of the 2023/24 campaign under Farke at that level.
Last season, the 21-year-old dynamo racked up eight goals and two assists in 19 starts in the second tier for the Whites – more than a goal contribution every other start on average.
This term, Gnonto’s goalscoring output has not been as great, but he has taken on more responsibility as a creator for his teammates in the final third.
The Italian whiz, who was once hailed as “electric” by Statman Dave, should come into the starting line-up because he has contributed more to the team than Solomon this season.
Appearances
19
12
Goals
3
2
Big chances created
8
2
Assists
5
1
Key passes per game
1.4
1.0
As you can see in the table above, the £30k-per-week star has delivered more, particularly as a creative threat, at the top end of the pitch than the Israel international.
These statistics suggest that Gnonto has a greater chance of being a difference-maker in this big clash with Middlesbrough at Elland Road tonight, which is why he should start.
Leeds would then have Ramazani and Solomon on the bench to bring on and make an impact in the second half of the game, if needed.
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