Daniel Farke has a decision to make at Leeds when it comes to Pascal Struijk and Jaka Bijol.
An illness saw the Leeds No.5 lose his place alongside Joe Rodon to the Slovenian for the 2-1 win over West Ham, a position he kept as the Whites suffered a 3-0 defeat away to Brighton on Saturday.
Jaka Bijol – albeit not the only one – looked shaky in that loss, and Daniel Farke must consider what was said about Pascal Struijk in August 2024 when it comes to selecting his next lineup.
Joe Rodon has already stressed the importance of having Pascal Struijk alongside him
After a 0-0 draw at West Brom, the Wales international spoke about just how significant it was for the Dutchman to be back in central defence alongside him.
Rodon hailed Struijk, telling Sky Sports: “The whole team knows how important Pascal is to us, and he showed (it) there today.
“He was brilliant. We are delighted to have him back and hopefully we just carry on and push on for the rest of the season.”
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Farke knows how effective Rodon and Struijk are together, having said in October 2023: “In general our defensive performance is why we are in a really good position in the table. Defending well is always a basement.”
The issue now for the German is that Bijol cost £15m back in June when arriving from Udinese, and it could severely dent his confidence if he loses his place following that disappointing display at Brighton.
However, it may also send out the wrong message to Struijk – who has aimed a dig at Jesse Marsch – if the Slovenia international is allowed to keep his place, potentially infuriating Rodon as well.
Daniel Farke should stick with what works for Leeds
There are some areas managers simply cannot afford to tinker with for the sake of it in football.
Joe Rodon, Pascal Struijk and Daniel Farke in conversation during Leeds United v Newcastle United - Premier League
Photo by Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images
The central defensive pairing is arguably most applicable to this point, as it relies on two players gaining an understanding of each other, and knowing they can trust one another.
With Nottingham Forest next up for Leeds – a tough test given the quality of Sean Dyche’s squad – Farke would be wise to revert to his trusted defensive pairing, with Bijol not exactly proving he is a class above Struijk in his two Premier League appearances so far.