Pundit says Leeds player was ‘very poor’ at Norwich and Daniel Farke could now drop him

The two sides meet again on Thursday night at Elland Road, with Leeds now holding the home advantage and the scores remaining level. Norwich had the 19th worst regular season away record in the Championship.

But Farke will still have some big decisions to make with his Leeds side ahead of the clash. On Sunday, he put Archie Gray in midfield in place of Joel Piroe to help Leeds look more solid and it certainly worked.

However, he took a player out of the Leeds attack and it showed. Perhaps something will change on Thursday night and there is also the topic of discussion about Georginio Rutter’s recent drop in form at Leeds.

Jon Newsome believes Rutter has lost his touch in recent weeks and club-record signing Joel Piroe showed more in his 25-minute cameo role. Here’s what Newsome had to say about Rutter:

Jon Newsome says Georginio Rutter could be waived now

Increasingly a concern, Rutter has now failed to score a goal or assist since the international break in March, which saw the former Hoffenheim star undergo surgery on a minor hernia.

That’s nine games, including Sunday, in which Leeds’ attacking heartbeats haven’t scored or created a goal. That apart from winning a penalty against Middlesbrough in the 4-3 win though.

Newsome told BBC Radio Leeds that he could be dropped: “I hate to say it but he was very poor today. Nothing stuck. He’s the kind of player that really frustrates you, but also has that little glimmer of magic.

“That magic dust is gone for the moment and he’s been missing for a while. Joel Piroe came on, I thought Norwich looked a bit on their feet and looked a bit tired, so that gives you an advantage.

“When you have fresh legs, I think he (Piroe) had a bigger impact in the last 20-25 minutes than Rutter had all game. It certainly gives Daniel Farke food for Thursday night in his selection.”

Rutter did not escape the wrath of Daniel Farke on the Leeds touchline

Farke was animated as expected with such pressure on a game like the play-off semi-final as Leeds looked to secure a solid result ahead of a clash at Elland Road later this week, which he did in the end.

But Rutter’s poor performance did not go unnoticed and even Farke was seen yelling at Rutter and giving instructions to the forward in the dugout. Archie Gray suffered similar fury from the Leeds boss.

It will be interesting to see what happens on Thursday. If Patrick Bamford is fit, then the Leeds No.9 could start, while Piroe will believe his cameo gave him a chance, while Mateo Joseph waits in the wings.

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