Anticipation and perhaps even anxiety fill the hearts of Leeds United fans as they look ahead to Friday night’s match. The league-leading Leicester City awaits, armed with a 14-point advantage and a 12-goal lead at their home ground, King Power Stadium.
Leicester is currently executing the perfect plan that any relegated team dreams of. Even if they stumble, they have accumulated enough points to secure a playoff spot and potentially even automatic promotion. Unlike Leeds, who had to deal with the constraints of release clauses due to their nine-year stay in the Premier League, Leicester had more control over their transfer affairs. The players they sold had a proven track record in the top flight, such as James Maddison and Harvey Barnes who had a combined total of 135 goals and assists in the Premier League.
Leicester managed to retain key players like Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Jannik Vestergaard, Ricardo Pereira, Wout Faes, Wilfred Ndidi, Jamie Vardy, James Justin, and Kelechi Iheanacho. The addition of Harry Winks has further strengthened their squad under Enzo Maresca’s leadership.
Despite any potential turmoil behind the scenes, Leicester’s results have been impressive. They won four out of four games, opening up a gap between them and Leeds. Apart from a minor setback against Hull City, they have remained consistent.
In contrast, Leeds have dropped points against Sheffield Wednesday and Hull and have suffered defeats against Southampton and Stoke City. However, they still believe they can defy expectations on Friday night.
Leeds manager Daniel Farke has emphasized the importance of winning the xG battle (expected goals) in closely contested matches and has lamented his team’s lack of clinical finishing. While the statistics suggest only one underperforming player in the team, the quality of Leeds’ attackers compared to the rest of the league should inspire the fans.
Georginio Rutter, in particular, has been outstanding, leading the league in combined expected goals and assists. The 21-year-old should have scored four goals and provided six assists, but has only managed two goals and five assists so far. If Rutter can find his scoring touch, his true potential can be unlocked. Another player to watch out for is Crysencio Summerville, who has been in excellent form, slightly surpassing expectations with six goals and four assists when he should have had five goals and three assists.
What is even more exciting is the per-90 measurement of these two players. Both Rutter and Summerville are tied at 0.83 goals and assists expected for every 90 minutes they play. This is the best record in the league. Kelechi Iheanacho is not far behind in third place with 0.81 goals and assists per 90 minutes (excluding penalties), while Daniel James sits at sixth with 0.77 per 90 minutes.
Leeds clearly possess the firepower to trouble Leicester, but they must focus on improving their defense ahead of this crucial match.
