Leeds United have made a fairly impressive start to life in the Premier League this season after they won the Championship title with 100 points last term.
Daniel Farke won his third promotion in four seasons from the second tier, hitting a century of points, but had previously struggled in the top-
flight during his time at Norwich City.
Matches
38
11
Wins
5
1
Draws
6
2
Losses
27
8
Points
21
5
League position
20th
20th
The German head coach’s record in the Premier League, as shown in the table above, did not fill many with hope that he would be capable of leading the team to safety this season.
However, the Whites have picked up eight points from their first seven games of the season, and were last-gasp goals against Fulham and Bournemouth away from having another three points on the board.
Farke is showing that he can coach a team to be competitive and effective at Premier League level, but Leeds must maintain their competitiveness for the remainder of the campaign to avoid relegation.
The work that was done by the 49ers during the summer transfer window has played a key role in the club’s success on the pitch this season, as players like Dominic Calvert-Lewin have added something different to the team.
Why Dominic Calvert-Lewin is undroppable for Leeds
The former England international was brought in on a free transfer from Everton during the summer transfer window to bolster Farke’s options at the top end of the pitch.
It is fair to say that he has not had the best start to life in West Yorkshire in front of goal. He has scored one goal and missed a whopping nine ‘big chances’, per Sofascore, which shows that the English striker has been incredibly wasteful in the final third.
Despite his struggles in front of goal, Calvert-Lewin has already established himself as undroppable in the centre-forward position because of what he offers to the team with his physical presence at the top end of the pitch.
Appearances
5
3
Goals
1
0
Key passes per game
1.2
0.0
Ground duel success rate
32%
0%
Aerial duel success rate
41%
22%
Duels won per game
4.6
0.7
As you can see in the table above, the former Toffees star offers significantly more to the side than Joel Piroe, the player who is competing with him for a spot in the starting XI.
Calvert-Lewin’s ability to compete with opposition centre-backs, particularly in the air, provides Leeds with the focal point they need up front when under pressure and in need of an outlet ball.
Now that they are battling to avoid relegation, the Whites need a striker who can relieve pressure by duelling with defenders, which is not Joel Piroe’s game, as evidenced by the aforementioned statistics.
Therefore, Calvert-Lewin’s strength in the number nine position makes him undroppable for now, even though he does need to start offering more as a finisher.
Whilst the 28-year-old striker should be deemed undroppable in spite of his finishing struggles, there is another struggling Leeds player who should be in danger of being dropped if he flops against Burnley in the Premier League on Saturday.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
The Whites travel to Turf Moor to take on Scott Parker’s side this weekend, and it could be a big match for central defender Pascal Struijk to show that he deserves to keep his place.
Why Pascal Struijk may be on borrowed time at Leeds
Another poor performance against the Clarets could put the Dutch centre-back on borrowed time in the starting line-up, because some of his displays have left a bit to be desired this season.
The left-footed defender was beaten for both of Tottenham Hotspur’s goals last time out in the 2-1 defeat to Thomas Frank’s team, as both Mathys Tel and Mohammed Kudus worked room to fire shots past him and through Karl Darlow.
Struijk was not the sole player at fault for those two goals from the away side, but he was also slow to challenge both players and could have done more to prevent the shots from reaching the goal.
On top of those mistakes against Spurs, the former Ajax youngster has also struggled with the physicality of the Premier League since making the step up from the Championship this summer.
Per Sofascore, Struijk has lost 62% of his ground duels and 54% of his aerial duels in seven appearances in the top-flight in the 2025/26 campaign. This shows that opposition attackers have found it far too easy to get the better of him in physical battles.
The £50k-per-week star, whose sloppy passing was described as “poor” by Gary Taphouse last season, could be in danger of losing his place in the starting line-up if he does not produce an improved performance against Burnley, because Farke has Jaka Bijol waiting in the wings.
Appearances
7
34
Tackles per game
0.6
1.3
Interceptions per game
0.3
1.1
Duels won per game
2.8
4.7
Ground duel success rate
38%
43%
Aerial duel success rate
46%
67%
As you can see in the table above, the Slovenia international’s performances in the Serie A last season suggest that he could be an upgrade on what Struijk is currently offering from a defensive perspective.
Leeds splashed out £15m to sign Bijol from Udinese during the summer transfer window, but he has been an unused substitute in all seven of the club’s matches so far this term.
Bijol started both of his country’s matches during the international break and kept two clean sheets in World Cup qualifiers against Kosovo and Switzerland, which means that he returns to West Yorkshire this week off the back of an impressive fortnight of defensive work.
The towering Slovenian colossus is clearly, given his form in the Serie A and for his country, an excellent option for Farke to call upon if he decides that a change is needed in defence.
This is why Struijk must step up and produce an impressive display against Burnley this weekend, as he may be on borrowed time with Bijol waiting to take his place.