Farke has to brutally dispose of the 1/10 Leeds player after a game of non-play

Leeds United will go all out when they welcome Norwich City to Elland Road in the second leg of the Championship play-offs on Thursday night.

The Whites drew 0-0 with the Canaries in Norfolk on Sunday as neither team managed to create many high-quality chances throughout the game.

There were only three shots in total, two from the sideline, and there is still a lot to play for both teams later this week.

Daniel Farke's men know that a win at home on Thursday night will see them book their place at Wembley in the final, where they will face either Southampton or West Bromwich Albion, whose first leg also ended 0-0 on Sunday.

The German coach may be looking to make changes to the XI selected at Carrow Road, and one player who should be brutally tied to the list is youngster Archie Gray.

He was chosen to play a number ten role behind Georginio Rutter at the end of the pitch but it was a test that ultimately failed to provide the team with an attacking threat.

Archie Gray's performance against Norwich by the numbers

The 18-year-old talent was talking about the pitch trying to shut down opposition players to ensure the likes of Marcelino Nunez and Kenny McLean didn't get too much time on the ball to pick their passes.

However, his role in playing football and possession left too much to be desired, which is why he should be relegated to the bench after fumbling in that area of ​​the field.

Gray lost five of his seven duels on the ground, as opposition players found it too easy to beat him in stall contests, but he won three of his five aerial battles – losing seven of 12 in total.

This suggests that the England U21 international has not provided much in the way of exercise, as he has lost most of his clashes with the Norwich players.

As you can see in the table above, Gray's performance with the ball at his feet was not the best as he struggled throughout the game in Norfolk, in a new role.

The young whiz, who has been used mostly in midfield or at right back, has not risen to the mark as number ten from an attacking point of view.

He completed only ten passes in the entire game, despite playing the entire 90 minutes, and he did not create chances or complete long passes, crosses, or dribbles, which shows that he was not played in the game – without a collision.

Callum O'Connell of Football Insider gave Gray a player rating of just 1/10 for his poor play, stating that the midfielder lost the ball more times than he completed a pass.

It was a disappointing performance from the young gem, as he struggled a lot during his outings throughout the game, but Farke again played him in an unnatural role in the big play-off, which was not an easy situation for him. reduced to.

He has been an impressive performer for Leeds in the Championship this season and this absence against Norwich was not true of his quality.

Archie Gray's form this season

The 18-year-old was named the Championship's Young Player of the Season last month for his impressive performances at right-back and midfield in the second division.

He played in 44 of 46 regular season games and started 40 of those games. During that time, Gray showed his ability to move the ball forward continuously from a full-back role.

The English dynamo is currently in the top 31% of Championsback full-backs for consistent passes per 90 (4.15), top 17% for pass accuracy (82.8%), and top 20% for success per 90 ( 1.08). ).

This shows that he was above average among his positional peers in improving play by taking on opposing players and passing the ball to his teammates in dangerous areas.

He also made 2.8 tackles and interceptions per game and won 55% of his total duels, showing that the graduate has been solid defensively as he has won more than half of his total battles.

However, his skills were not put to good use during the 0-0 draw with Norwich as Gray struggled in the tenth role, which is why he had to be cruelly arrested on Thursday.

Archie Gray alternatives

Farke could move Rutter back to the center of the attacking midfield and let Joel Piroe or Mateo Joseph start as the starting point guard.

The French ace, who started up front at Carrow Road, created 22 'big chances' and assisted 15 in 44 starts in the regular season, showing his ability to create quality chances for his team-mates at an impressive rate.

This qualifies him for a number ten role as the former Hoffenheim star is able to pick up the ball from pockets of space and look to move into the final third to open up opposition defences.

Piroe could be brought in to start over Gray to provide an attacking threat as Leeds, hopefully, look to wrap up the game in normal time at Elland Road on Thursday night.

The Dutchman has scored 13 goals from 12.74 xG (Goals Expected) in the Championship this season, showing that he has been a reliable finisher when the opportunities arise.

However, the left-footed ace has also lost 62% of his games and Farke may be concerned that Ben Gibson and Shane Duffy will find it too easy to beat him in physical battles.

With one game, however, Wembley on the line, Leeds may want to call upon their deadly spirit in the penalty box to fire the team through to the play-offs, rather than clinging to Gray after his failure. testing as an attacking midfielder.