Leeds United endured a disappointing trip to QPR on Saturday, with Mateo Joseph arguably suffering more than anyone else.
Despite a valiant effort to come back from a 2-0 deficit, Daniel Farke’s side had to settle for a draw, continuing their poor record in London. While Joel Piroe struggled to make an impact up front, Farke chose not to bring Joseph on at any point, leaving him to warm the bench for the entire match.
Joseph had started the season competing with Piroe for the striker’s spot, but Piroe has since secured that role with an impressive 15 goals and six assists from 38 appearances. In contrast, Joseph has three goals and three assists in 36 Championship games, though he’s only started 11 of them.
Despite not stepping onto the pitch, Joseph managed to pick up an injury during warm-ups. According to Graham Smyth of the Yorkshire Evening Post (16 March), Joseph accidentally twisted his foot while attempting to stop a pass in a warm-up drill with the substitutes, leading him to limp off. Moments later, he took a blow to the “unmentionables,” leaving him doubled over for a while before rejoining the warm-up. Thankfully, the injury wasn’t serious.
It was a tough day for Joseph, compounded by Leeds’ failure to capitalize on their position at the top of the table. Though they had hoped to regain momentum after their 3-0 win over Millwall on Wednesday (12 March), the draw against QPR was a setback, leaving the battle for promotion wide open.
With Burnley also winning over the weekend, the top of the Championship table remains tight, and the race for the top two spots looks set to go down to the wire. Amid ongoing speculation about Leeds’ potential collapse, Farke will need to ensure his side stays focused and performs at its best every week.
Spotted: Leeds player accidentally hurt by teammate in unseen moment – report
