Daniel Farke was already on borrowed time in the Leeds United dug-out heading into his lowly side’s clash with Aston Villa on Sunday afternoon.
Indeed, the depressing backdrop heading into this big tie at Elland Road was four defeats from their last five games in the intense Premier League, and now, it’s five defeats from their last six, culminating in the West Yorkshire outfit sinking into that final relegation spot.
At one stage, Leeds looked in control after a scrappy Lukas Nmecha goal found the back of the net after just eight minutes had been played.
But, in the end, Villa’s quality shone through courtesy of a Morgan Rogers brace in the second half, and while Rogers came good in that pivotal second 45 minutes, Brenden Aaronson produced another no-show to trouble his manager’s precarious position even more.
Why Aaronson must now be dropped by Farke
Not even home comforts could save Leeds from a late Villa comeback.
Of course, last time at home, before this disastrous slip-up, Leeds picked up a much-needed 2-1 win over relegation rivals West Ham United, as Aaronson stole the show with a goal and an overall energetic outing.
Unfortunately for Aaronson, his showing against the Villans was a far cry from his standout performance against Nuno Espirito Santo’s visitors.
Against the Hammers, the American attacking midfielder successfully completed all three of his dribbles as a nuisance that the East Londoners had to keep tabs on throughout. On the contrary, on Sunday afternoon, Aaronson routinely lost the ball when attempting to burst forward with pace, with just one of his five dribbles coming off.
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On top of that, the hard-working figure who won eight duels during that 2-1 win was replaced by a weak number 11 who won just five of his 13 duels. Most importantly, too, the right winger only managed one effort on target at Emiliano Martinez’s goal, as Villa always felt like they had the below-par ex-Union Berlin playmaker under control.
If the German continues to select Aaronson, he will be very much on the chopping block for the sack, with both Daniel James and Wilfried Gnonto perhaps better suited to this right-wing role, over the hot-and-cold 25-year-old.
After all, the Welshman at least excited the Elland Road masses late on when his goalbound effort was disallowed for a handball by Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
That being said, Aaronson isn’t the only underperformer who looks out of his depth in the Premier League.
Not just Aaronson: Big-money signing must be ditched
How much longer will the Leeds hierarchy persist with the former Norwich City boss in the dug-out?
After today’s defeat, they will want to see some immediate positive results, but with Manchester City and Chelsea up next in a very tricky double-header, the near future looks grim.
Still, he could pull off a shock result against either team, as is the unpredictability of the division, particularly if he ditches Lucas Perri in between the sticks, who fell victim to another shaky day at the office on Sunday.
The decisive match-winning free-kick was a wonderfully hit effort from the man of the moment in Rogers, but Leeds fans would have watched on in disbelief as Perri stayed rooted to his spot, with The Athletic’s Beren Cross critical of the ex-Lyon goalkeeper, who “barely moved”.
Away from helping Rogers to collect his brace, Perri also failed to look convincing with just two saves registered, alongside only ten of his passes hitting their intended target, leaving him with a dire 53% pass accuracy come the final whistle.
Games played
7
Goals conceded
14
Goals conceded*
2.0
Saves made
14
Saves made*
2.0 (50%)
Goals prevented
– 1.53
Pass accuracy*
19.0 (58%)
Clean sheets
2
For a newly promoted side who were on the hunt for a clear upgrade on Illan Meslier in the summer, they might well feel ripped off now that they forked out £13.9m on his services, with the flappy Brazilian conceding an average of two goals a game now, having kept just two clean sheets to date.
Amazingly, Karl Darlow – who cost £400k – might be the better option now, having averaged more saves per game than Perri this season from his limited minutes at 2.6 per clash, with Leeds surely fearing a drubbing at the hands of City up next if their new number one is retained.
Journalist Adonis Storr at the full-time whistle stated that Farke must be “in serious trouble” now, as boos headed his direction with some ferocity at the end, with both Perri and Aaronson needing to be dropped for the next crucial game to try and somehow steer the sinking ship back on course.
If they remain in the XI, Farke will likely be out of a job very swiftly.
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