Has Pascal Struijk proven himself to be Leeds United’s most important player? — The Athletic 3/10/24
By Nancy Froston
Is there a player as important to Leeds United as Pascal
Struijk right now?
Maybe you can make a case for Willy Gnonto or Largie
Ramazani as Leeds have rediscovered their attacking flair. Perhaps by his
absence alone, Ethan Ampadu is worthy of being considered United’s most crucial
player. But Struijk is, and has been since his return to the first team at the
start of pre-season, the central figure who forms the foundation of Daniel
Farke’s team.
The Dutchman now has the captain’s armband in Ampadu’s
absence and the task of leading a patched-up side into the biggest test of the
season yet when they head to Sunderland on Friday night. Ampadu’s absence is
set to be lengthy and the extent of Ilia Gruev’s injury remains unknown. Max
Wober is on the sidelines for six weeks, reducing Farke’s options for depth at
centre-back, while Dan James, Manor Solomon and Isaac Schmidt are all in the
treatment room.
It has been a cursed week for United as they teeter on the
brink of an early-season injury crisis. Having endured his own injury
frustrations with five months out last season, Struijk is the man capable of
leading them through a week of long away travel and tricky tests on the pitch.
His pre-assist via Gnonto for Ramazani’s equaliser against
Norwich was a classy, line-breaking pass which has become common from him this
season. It does not always pay off but when it does, there are few better ways
to get Leeds’ exciting attacking players in behind as directly.
Struijk is more than a defender in that respect and is
willing to carry the ball into midfield and get something going as teams
default to setting up in a low block against Leeds. He is Farke’s first line of
attack. Though working the ball from Illan Meslier to Joe Rodon to Struijk and
back again demands patience from supporters, it works as with their opening
goal against Coventry City. The move began with Struijk and Rodon working an
opening and was finished well by Gnonto.
But the attacking freedoms afforded to flair players like
Gnonto and Ramazani only happen when built on a strong defensive foundation,
which Struijk provides. The 25-year-old is Leeds’ best central defender and is
the player they really missed in their slump towards the end of last season
when the rock-solid centre-back partnership of Rodon and Ampadu showed cracks.
There was little faulting that makeshift partnership at
first when Struijk was ruled out in December with a groin injury. But there was
in the final six league games when Leeds lost four times and conceded 12 goals.
Among them, a handful of goals came down the left where Struijk usually
operates.
Since the opening day wobble against Portsmouth, Leeds’
defence has only been breached twice in the league with one against Burnley and
one at Norwich. While Rodon has endured a mixed start to the season since
signing permanently from Tottenham in the summer, Struijk has slotted back into
the starting XI seamlessly. One of the only concessions has come from Rodon’s
rash challenge on Josh Sargent against Norwich, which handed the USA striker a
penalty that he duly dispatched. They remain a strong defensive pair even with
Rodon taking time to return to the solidity he offered last season, with
Struijk leading the way on several metrics.
Though it is still early in the season and eight league
matches represents a small sample size, Struijk is making more successful
tackles, blocks, interceptions and headed clearances of the two centre-backs
per 90 minutes. Where Rodon is strong is when stopping runners — he is yet to
be dribbled past this season by an opposition player — and he is still a
formidable partner for Struijk. Leeds have some depth in the form of James
Debayo at centre-back with Ampadu and Wober also options when fit but Rodon and
Struijk are clearly their best pairing.
Struijk is a rare commodity as a left-footed, ball-playing
centre-back and is a prized asset that United have done well to nurture and
hold onto. Since signing from Ajax’s youth ranks in 2018, he has made 130
appearances in all competitions with 10 goals and is under contract until 2027.
He has twice found himself on penalty duties this season, first with one taken
and scored against Portsmouth and then one saved against Cardiff City — hardly
a common thing for a central defender.
Stepping up to fill the role needed by the team is not new
to Struijk either, having started the 2022-23 season at left-back while Junior
Firpo was injured. With a less confident defensive midfield partnership in
front of him after Gruev went off injured against Norwich, Struijk stepped up
and swept up as Ao Tanaka and Joe Rothwell did their best in unfamiliar roles.
It was enough to keep Norwich at bay for the most part but they are likely to
face a greater onslaught against Sunderland who top the table after the early
part of the campaign and have scored a Championship-leading 16 goals.
After his own injury concerns, having missed a training
session before the 3-0 win over Coventry City due to an adductor injury, Leeds
will be keen to protect Struijk in their last game before the international
break. Even in a side at full strength, he is a leader worthy of the captain’s
armband and worthy of being considered Farke’s most important player.