Leeds travel to Craven Cottage on Tuesday evening as they face Fulham in the fifth round of the FA Cup and new manager Javi Gracia must consider ditching Luke Ayling.
Why should Ayling be dropped vs Fulham?
Despite the summer arrival of Rasmus Kristensen from Red Bull Salzburg, Ayling has kept his regular starting spot at right-back in Leeds’ side so far this campaign, with Jesse Marsch often alternating between the two.
The former Bristol City man has made 17 appearances in the Premier League so far this term, ten of which have been starts, and he has earned a disappointing 6.61 rating from WhoScored for his performances.
This ranks him as the tenth-best performer at Elland Road this campaign, while Kristensen is rated as the fourth-best with a 6.73 average rating, so it is perhaps something of a surprise that Ayling has featured so often.
Gracia opted to start the 31-year-old in last weekend’s 1-0 win over Southampton, in which the Whites earned a rare victory and clean sheet, although his performance was little to write home about, as he earned a 6.67 rating from WhoScored for his performance.
Despite being a regular in defence, Ayling fails to score in the top ten Leeds players for blocks and interceptions this season, while he also ranks just seventh for tackles.
Why should Kristensen start for Leeds?
Kristensen has registered better scores in all of these defensive metrics, which suggests that he should be given his chance to impress the new manager for the trip to Craven Cottage this evening.
The Danish defender is just 24 so the Whites should surely start to put their faith in the right-back as the main starter at Elland Road if they want to best prepare for the future.
Although Ayling has been an excellent player for Leeds over the years, making 238 appearances across his seven years with the Yorkshire outfit, he has been defensively suspect during his time in the Premier League.
Jamie Carragher labelled him an “idiot” after a sending-off against Arsenal last season, while Shaun Wright-Phillips criticised him for “falling asleep” for Nottingham Forest’s winning goal earlier this year.
That’s a quote that could be aptly applied to several incidences since promotion, with the full-back having made a “hospital pass” – in the words of Beren Cross – towards Liam Cooper against West Ham United earlier this year.
While Ayling did impress in the recent fixtures against Manchester United – earning Sofascore ratings above 7.5 – he has managed above a 7/10 rating from WhoScored on just five occasions this season, which suggests that he is nowhere near consistent enough to be a regular starter in this side.
Therefore, with the focus very much on remaining in the top flight this season, Kristensen deserves to start in the FA Cup on Tuesday night, where an impressive performance could see him reclaim his regular starting spot ahead of Ayling in the Premier League.