The Whites were held to a bore draw away last night, with one man disappointing.
Leeds United were held to a 0-0 draw last night in the league as they pressed but could not break Hull City’s solid defence.
Ultimately, the rather dull encounter at MKM Arena was, for better or worse, marred by a few notable points. Joe Rodon is an obvious example
Why was Joe Rodon sent off against Hull?
Rodon got Daniel Farke into trouble after two bookable offenses saw him sent off after just 60 minutes. The first warning appeared to be a questionable one, as he was caught fighting with a player before being sent for a morning shower after a strong challenge with Aaron Connolly.
Meanwhile, Georginio Rutter had a tough game in front of goal, failing to build upon the fine foundation he had laid after bagging just his second goal for the club last weekend against Millwall.
Although this was a match they felt they should have won, after scoring 1.49 expected goals to their opponents’ 1.01 and taking 17 shots, Tigres really controlled most of the possession although they were unable to block Illan Meslier’s shot on goal, via Sofascore.
It was a good defensive performance, but it was far from an impressive outing for the strikers, who were wasteful throughout and ultimately let the team down.
Joel Piroe, as the leader and spearhead of this attacking unit, therefore bears much of the responsibility.
How did Joel Piroe play against Hull City?
Clearly invisible, even when the £12m Dutchman is involved, it rarely comes into play as he partners Rutter in attack. Although the Frenchman also failed to find the winning goal, his creativity helped push the white team forward on many occasions, rarely being rewarded for trying something different. As such, his 58% passing accuracy is a bit unfair, as it is offset by the three key passes he has scored, according to Sofascore.
Meanwhile, the former Swansea City man seems to be hiding when needed most, making just 28 touches of the ball. For comparison, Meslier against Leeds held the ball more (57 touches) and made more passes (17 compared to 36). The numbers are truly overwhelming. Farke, clearly exasperated by his star striker’s inactivity, even hanged him after just 63 minutes to straighten himself out after his red card.
What made matters worse was that although Piroe’s team tried to win the ball, he could not put in the effort to lead his team. Therefore, the summer signing did not record any tackles, clearances, clearances or interceptions, winning only 2 of the 5 duels he participated in.
Journalist James Murray would echo this view in his post-match player ratings, giving Piroe a dismal 4/10. For context, Rodon, being shown a red card, scored just one goal less at 3/10:
“Piroe was quite anonymous in the first half, his only chance came when the ball went into the box and he took his chance.
“He didn’t make much of an impact in the second half either, as it’s hard to remember he actually did anything before being sent off after Rodon’s red card.”
To have less involvement than the goalkeeper is a searing indictment of a torrid night’s work, which Farke will seek to rectify this weekend. Piroe was not bought just for his goals, but also to lead their attack with energy and creativity. Both were severely lacking tonight, and it showed.
