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14/11/2022 | 09:15pm
Leeds United have struggled defensively in latest months, with Jesse Marsch’s aspect delivery 22 targets over their final ten Premier League fixtures – together with seven of their final two top-flight outings – with their whole of 26 conceded rating the Whites because the joint fourth-worst defence within the division.
Certainly, Liam Cooper, Diego Llorente and Robin Koch have all struggled at centre-back, at the moment rating because the membership’s tenth, twelfth and Thirteenth-best performers respectively within the league, with makeshift left-back Pascal Struijk – who himself ranks because the Whites’ fourth-best participant this time period – arguably being the one of the Leeds defenders to have actually impressed to this point in 2022/23.
Nonetheless, whereas the overwhelming majority of the membership’s defenders haven’t been in the most effective of type this day trip, there may be one centre-back at the moment on the membership’s books who has been catching the attention for all the proper causes this season – within the type of Charlie Cresswell.
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Since making the transfer to Millwall on a season-long mortgage deal this summer time, the 20-year-old has already change into an integral a part of Gary Rowett’s backline – in addition to reportedly turning into a goal of second-tier promotion hopefuls Norwich Metropolis.
And, it’s not troublesome to see why the defender is attracting admiring glances, because the £4.4m-rated expertise has extremely impressed over his 14 Championship appearances, serving to his aspect hold three clear sheets, along with making a median of 1.6 interceptions, 1.4 tackles, 2.4 clearances and profitable 7.1 duels – at a hit price of 61% – per recreation.
The £5.4k-per-week teen has additionally chipped in for the Lions going forwards, scoring three targets, offering one help and creating two huge probabilities for his teammates, in addition to taking a median of 0.9 photographs, making 0.4 key passes and taking part in 3.8 lengthy balls per fixture.
These returns have seen the participant who Joe Wainman dubbed “unbelievable” common a merely sensational SofaScore match ranking of seven.14, not solely rating him as Millwall’s third-best performer within the league but additionally because the joint Twenty sixth-best participant within the second tier of English soccer as a complete.
As such, with it being reported that Leeds do possess an choice to recall the 20-year-old within the January switch window, contemplating simply how spectacular Cresswell has been this season, it might seem advisable for Marsch to activate this clause, because the 48-year-old supervisor might effectively remedy his big defensive downside by unleashing the centre-back in his beginning XI.