Leeds United's Brenden Aaronson conundrum sees Daniel Farke double-down defence troubled by new findings
Leeds United midfielder Brenden Aaronson has seen a drop-off in his creativity of late as calls for him to be replaced in the starting line-up intensify.
The No. 11's performances have been scrutinised in recent weeks due to a lack of material contributions when all around him have begun to add goals and assists to their season tallies.
Junior Firpo recently surpassed the attacking midfielder's haul in several fewer matches and notched his ninth assist of the campaign in the midweek win over Millwall, while the likes of Dan James, Manor Solomon and Joel Piroe have all steadily supplemented their respective tallies since the turn of the year.
Aaronson has recorded no assists and scored just the once in Leeds' last 13 league games but remains in the starting lineup week-on-week. Leeds supporters have sought an explanation for this from Daniel Farke, who has explained that the American's work-rate and the lack of a suitable alternative means Aaronson continues to feature.
However, it is not as if the USMNT international has merely been unfortunate when it comes to creating chances that simply haven't been converted by his teammates. The 24-year-old's creative output has also declined.
During the first 19 games of the season, Aaronson registered 2.9 xA (Expected Assists), which is to say based on the quality of the chances he created, he would have been expected to provide three assists, or thereabout, for his teammates.
In Leeds' last 18 games, Aaronson's cumulative xA has halved to 1.4. Perhaps more concerning is the fact his xA over the last 11 matches, which has coincided with a dry spell in the final third, Aaronson has produced only 0.4 xA.
Over the same 11-game period, James has produced 3.5 xA, Firpo 2.5 xA, Solomon 2.2 xA, Joe Rothwell 1.8 xA, Piroe 1.0 xA and Jayden Bogle 0.7 xA. During the same spell, seven of Aaronson's 11 appearances have passed with the American failing to register a single-game xA tally exceeding 0.1.
As the data shows, Leeds do not rely on their No. 10 position for chance creation; there is more than enough creativity coming from elsewhere. However, the positions Aaronson takes up and the role he plays in the final third is perhaps not being optimised.
This week saw the United States international left out of Mauricio Pochettino's squad for a Concacaf Nations League semi-final against Panama, which could be followed by a final showdown versus Mexico or Canada. The Argentine coach revealed there were 'too many players for one position' he wanted to choose and as a result, Aaronson missed out on the 23-man selection. Leeds' issue is the opposite.
Time out of the side is unlikely given the proximity to the end of the season and the fact Leeds remain top of the table with Aaronson having started all but the first two league games of the campaign. If it isn't broke, don't fix it, appears to be Farke's motto when it comes to the American.
Had it not been for a tight offside call on Wednesday night, Aaronson would have seen an improvised flick for Piroe, at the end of a lovely one-two, result in him registering his first assist since Oxford United at home last December. The pair have linked up to good effect on occasion, such as the through-ball which fed Piroe for the game's opener at Stoke City on Boxing Day, even if technically, that one didn't count as an assist.
But, these occasions have been too infrequent for many on the terraces with expectation great, talent waiting in the wings and ultimately, patience wearing thin.
Data credit: FBRef.com