Leeds United failed to score for the fourth successive match in the Premier League in their 0-0 draw with Brentford at Elland Road on Saturday night.
The Whites missed out on an opportunity to claim three points in front of their own supporters to bolster their chances of avoiding relegation back down to the Championship.
Daniel Farke's men have drawn their last two matches 0-0, having lost the previous two league games 1-0 to Sunderland and Manchester City, and scoring goals is clearly the biggest problem that they have at the moment.
daniel-farke-leeds
The German head coach needs some of his attacking players to step up in the final weeks of the campaign to ensure that they do not go back down to the second tier with a whimper in front of goal.
One of the players who should be dropped from the side in an attempt to improve the side's attacking output is USA international Brenden Aaronson.
Why Brenden Aaronson must be dropped
The former RB Salzburg star had some credit in the bank after the winter period because he stepped up with three goals and two assists in seven Premier League matches between December and 7th January.
However, that credit must have run out by now. It has been 12 games in all competitions since Aaronson last registered a goal or an assist for the Whites, struggling badly at the top end of the pitch.
In the 0-0 draw with Brentford, the American attacking midfielder produced zero shots on target, zero 'big chances' created, and racked up 0.01 xA for the team, illustrating his complete lack of impact in the final third.
Aaronson
Despite his struggles, Aaronson has started the last 15 Premier League matches for Leeds. Farke must end that run by dropping him for the trip to Manchester United in April, after the FA Cup clash with West Ham United.
Whilst the USA international should be dropped because of his failure to provide quality in front of goal for Leeds, he is not the only player who should be taken out of the side.
Leeds star is becoming as ineffective as Brenden Aaronson
There is another Leeds flop who is fast becoming just as ineffective as Aaronson at the top end of the pitch for Farke, and they must also be dropped from the side.
aaronson-leeds
The German head coach went with Lukas Nmecha on the left and Dominic Calvert-Lewin through the middle as the main centre-forward against the Bees, and it was the latter who looked the worst of the two.
Despite playing in a relatively unfamiliar position, Nmecha did a decent job of providing a threat from a wide position, registering one shot on target and creating one chance in 69 minutes on the pitch.
Vs Brentford Nmecha Calvert-Lewin
Minutes 69 90
Touches 26 23
Shots on target 1 1
Chances created 1 0
Pass accuracy 80% 58%
Total passes 12 7
Possession lost 8x 11x
Calvert-Lewin, meanwhile, did not create a single chance for his teammates in 90 minutes on the pitch and only completed 58% of his attempted passes, failing to link the play effectively for the Whites.
The England international has now gone six matches without a goal in all competitions and has only scored one goal in his last ten outings for Leeds, which was in the 3-1 win over Nottingham Forest.
Calvert-Lewin had gone on a run of eight goals in nine games prior to the last ten matches, which shows that his form has fallen off significantly since the winter period, much like Aaronson's.
Unfortunately, Aaronson and Calvert-Lewin both look equally ineffective at the top end of the pitch at this moment in time, with their lack of goal contributions in the Premier League, and that has contributed to the team's failure to score in the last four league games.
dominic-calvert-lewin-premier-league-leeds
Both players have not delivered enough in the way of quality in front of goal over the last ten games or so, which is why Farke must finally drop both of them to provide other players with opportunities to shine.
Noah Okafor and Joel Piroe were both substitutes in the 0-0 draw with Brentford and should be given a chance to see if they can offer more than Aaronson and Calvert-Lewin, because of how ineffective they have both been.
Nmecha should keep his place, given that he outperformed the English striker against the Bees, and Piroe and Okafor should join him in the front three for the next Premier League clash against United.
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