Leeds United return to Championship action at Elland Road this evening as they welcome Queens Park Rangers to Yorkshire in the hope of bouncing back from their last match.
Daniel Farke's side travelled down south to St. Mary's to take on Southampton live on Sky Sports in the early kick-off last weekend and were beaten 3-1 by Russell Martin's men.
That loss ended a run of six matches without a defeat for the Whites in the league and they will now be looking to return to that imperious run of form, starting with tonight's clash under the lights.
What's the latest Leeds team news?
Farke has confirmed that a number of players will remain unavailable for selection against QPR as they continue to recover from their respective injury issues.
On-loan right-back Djed Spence and Italy international Wilfried Gnonto are both on track to return to action after the international break this month. The latter has scored one goal in five league outings so far this season and could face a fight on his hands to win back his place in the side.
Left-back Junior Firpo is also set to return to training on the other side of the break, whilst Northern Ireland international Stuart Dallas has had a minor setback and will be back with the squad over the next few days.
The German head coach also commented on the performance of central defender Liam Cooper in his pre-match press conference as he conceded that the game against Southampton was not his 'best' day in a Leeds shirt.
However, the ex-Norwich boss added that he is 'happy' with the Scotland international but that does not mean that the Whites captain will play 'every second'.
How did Cooper perform against Southampton?
The central defender put in a dismal display against the Saints and his first contribution to the defeat came after just two minutes as he was caught out for the opening goal.
Cooper, for reasons that he may only be able to explain, stepped out of his position despite Leeds having two midfielders between him and the player in possession and that allowed Adam Armstrong to run off the back of him, which led to the striker dinking the ball over Illan Meslier and into the back of the net.
The central defender was not directly at fault for the second Saints goal but the shot from Will Smallbone did creep past the Leeds man's left foot and he could have attempted to make himself bigger to make the block.
Cooper, who ended the match with a Sofascore rating of 6.6, then took too long to come across on the cover to help out Sam Byram, which led to Armstrong having all the time he needed to fire the ball into the back of the net for 3-0 before half time.
It was a disappointing display from the £35k-per-week enforcer and Farke must now ruthlessly ditch him from the starting line-up for this clash against QPR tonight.
Will Joe Rodon start against QPR?
The Leeds head coach must then unleash central defender Joe Rodon, who is on loan from Tottenham Hotspur, in place of the veteran captain at the heart of the defence alongside Pascal Struijk.
Farke swooped to sign the former Swansea star on a temporary basis during the summer transfer window and he was an unused substitute against the Saints after returning from his suspension.
The Wales international had been sent off for two bookable offences in the 0-0 draw with Hull City last month but had caught the eye in his previous four appearances for the Whites.
Rodon averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.18 across his first four Championship matches for Leeds as they went unbeaten in that time; against West Brom, Ipswich, Sheffield Wednesday, and Millwall.
The 25-year-old titan has impressed with his play in and out of possession. On the ball, the Spurs loanee has completed 90% of his attempted passes and shown himself to be capable of finding a teammate the vast majority of the time, rather than consistently handing the ball back to the opposition.
He has also won an outstanding 72% of his aerial battles in the Championship so far this season, which shows that the towering centre-back is dominant in the air and able to outmuscle his opponent far more often than not.
Is Rodon better than Cooper?
Cooper and Rodon's respective statistics over the last 365 days suggest that Farke's team would be better off with the latter in possession of the ball.
The current Leeds captain has averaged 0.27 progressive carries and successful take-ons combined per 90 over the last year, as per FBref. This has him in the bottom 21% of his positional peers across the Men's Big Five Leagues and European competitions in both statistics.
Whereas, Rodon, who spent last season on loan with Rennes in Ligue 1, has averaged 0.65 progressive carries and successful take-ons per 90 over the last 365 days. In fact, he ranks within the top 31% of centre-backs in the Men's Big Five Leagues and European competitions for take-ons completed per 90 in that time.
This suggests that the Welsh titan excels at dribbling forward with the ball to start attacks for his side from a central defensive position, whereas Cooper rarely looks to progress possession in that way.
The Scotland international has also won 67% of his aerial duels in the Championship this term, which suggests that Rodon is more dominant than him when it comes to battles in the air.
His ability to sense danger around the box could also make him an upgrade on the Scottish dud as the 6 foot 4 ace has made 3.3 clearances per game this term, in comparison to his skipper's 1.8 per match.
Therefore, Farke must now unleash the Spurs defender, who was once hailed as "perfect" by ex-boss Jose Mourinho, in place of Cooper to improve his starting XI for this clash with QPR.
The former Chesterfield colossus' disappointing display against Southampton should see him dropped from the team as Leeds will want to avoid back-to-back defeats, which could see them slip further behind the chasing pack in the hunt for automatic promotion.
