Leeds United boss Thomas Christiansen needs to bring Kemar Roofe back into his favoured role.
The honeymoon period is well and truly over for Leeds United and head coach Thomas Christiansen has plenty to ponder.
Saturday’s 1-0 reverse by Reading at Elland Road was their third successive defeat and it’s time for Christiansen to address some glaring questions: should Ronaldo Vieira be brought back for the increasingly-poor Kalvin Phillips? Why does the centre-back pairing of Liam Cooper and Pontus Jansson look nowhere near as solid as it did earlier in the season? Is Pablo Hernandez more a hindrance than a help at the moment?
One question Christiansen probably isn’t asking, but should, is Pierre-Michel Lasogga needs to drop out for the visit to Bristol City next weekend.
This is no time for knee-jerk decisions, but is it reactionary or just logical to consider dropping a man whose best performance came against a relegation candidate with the joint-worst defence in the Championship?
Lasogga has managed one goal in the six games since Leeds’ 5-0 demolition of Burton Albion in September. The 25-year-old, who joined the Whites on loan from Hamburg, only touched the ball 12 times in his 77-minute stint against Reading.
He was completely out of the game. You can ask questions about his supporting cast – Hernandez, Samu Saiz and Kemar Roofe – considering he was starved of service but who’s to say he won’t be isolated again at Ashton Gate next week?
Christiansen has a couple of options in the form of Roofe and Jay-Roy Grot. The former offered another reminder that there’s no point in playing him unless it’s up front, while it’s plain to see that 19-year-old Grot has a lot of refining to do before he’s ready for the Championship – if he ever reaches that level.
Roofe didn’t cover himself in glory in the 3-1 defeat at Cardiff, though he did score for what was his sixth goal this season – four have come when he’s been up front – and it seems like he might be a better option than the German next weekend.
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