Leeds United have one of the most accurate passers in the Premier League after an impressive start to the Premier League season.
Daniel Farke can feel hard done by after seven games of the new Premier League season as his side sits on eight points.
Leeds’ defence has enjoyed a strong start to the season as Farke has retained faith in his centre-back pairing of Pascal Struijk and Joe Rodon, meaning new signing Jaka Bijol has been forced to wait for his first top-flight appearance.
However, Struijk had a difficult afternoon against Tottenham, with both of the visitors’ goals coming via deflections off the Dutchman and Spurs catching Struijk on the counter-attack several times.
Despite his challenging afternoon, one key Premier League stat highlights why Farke should stick with his defender, as calls to select Bijol gather pace.
Leeds United v Everton - Premier League
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Pascal Struijk fourth in key Premier League metric
Although Struijk had one of his more difficult afternoons of the season, receiving just a 5.8 rating from FotMob, he has been one of Leeds’ most consistent performers this season.
Struijk has been linked with Tottenham following his strong start to the year, and the data from his seven games to date show why.
According to Opta, Struijk currently has the fourth-highest passing success rate in the Premier League, behind only Aston Villa pair, Ezri Konsa and Lamare Bogarde, and Arsenal defender William Saliba.
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Top 5 Premier League players by passing accuracy:
Ezri Konsa – 96.2%
Lamare Bogarde – 94.9%
William Saliba – 93.2%
Pascal Struijk – 93.2%
John Stones – 93.1%
Struijk sits immediately above Manchester City’s John Stones and Ruben Dias, highlighting just how well he has retained the ball for Farke’s side this season.
Joe Rodon, Pascal Struijk and Daniel Farke in conversation during Leeds United v Newcastle United - Premier League
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End of Spurs defeat could be the template for Daniel Farke
Ultimately, it was Leeds’ wastefulness in the final third that cost them against Tottenham, as Dominic Calvert-Lewin missed several good chances to give the Whites a second goal.
Daniel Farke threw caution to the wind in the closing stages, switching to a 5-3-2 and partnering Joel Piroe and Calvert-Lewin for the first time, with the Dutch forward sat behind the front two.
The switch almost bore fruit for Leeds, as Calvert-Lewin nodded the ball down to Piroe, who went close with a shot late on.
With Leeds struggling for goals, but also looking more open at the back as they conceded twice, a more permanent switch to five at the back could be an option for Farke after the international break.