00:00I almost think Joel Peru is being sacrificed on the altar of reality this season because if games are stretched, Leeds still need a focal point and someone to hold the ball up.
00:14If they're ahead in games and they need to go direct, and that's something Ariola gave them real credit for.
00:20He said that we were causing them problems with our press, so they just went direct to Calvert-Lewin because they're smart, and that caused Bournemouth big, big problems.
00:28And it did because he must have won four or five aerial battles during the game.
00:33And like I said previously, if he doesn't win it, he's going to make it very hard for you to put the ball where you want to with your header.
00:40Even when Leeds are up in games, I think that's when you're going to see Mecca come on because he will also battle the centre-backs and hold it up and get his back into them.
00:50Maybe try and lay it off to someone, maybe try and get you into the corner.
00:53I just don't see Joel Peru having the physicality to do that against Premier League centre-backs.
00:59And so I now find myself thinking, well, in what scenario does he come in?
01:02You know, is it only in a scenario where Leeds are 2-0 up, 3-0 up, where you put him on and you think, you know, on the break,
01:11we're really going to go for the jugular here and score a third or a fourth?
01:14I don't know.
01:15It's really, really hard to say.
01:17I think his best route to match minutes at this stage is injuries because I find it really hard to see scenarios,
01:27like realistic game scenarios where he comes on.
01:31You know, you look at his strengths and they are, he can slot, it can slot a pass.
01:36You know, he has an eye for a pass in and around, you know, 25 yards out from goal.
01:41He has a great finish on him.
01:42But how often in the championship did we say, you know, Peru drifted through the game or drifted out of the game
01:50or vanished from the game and then popped up with a goal?
01:52You know, the bit that he did that you loved in the championship was the finishing.
01:56But his all-round performance quite often was something that I felt left us wanting more.
02:01And I think in the Premier League that would only be exacerbated.
02:06Yeah, I mean, I would like to, it would have been nice to see him have a bit more of a chance.
02:12I thought in Everton it was good.
02:13I thought he really did work hard that game and maybe in the summer he's been kind of told that
02:18and wanted to work at it.
02:19But you're right.
02:20And I know we talked at one point about maybe that this team was switched from 4-3-3 to 4-2-3-1.
02:25But the way that midfield three are looking, I actually can't see that happening much at all.
02:30Even in home games where you think we'll maybe win, say at home against Burnley or Wolves or West Ham or whatever it is,
02:38I think he'll stick with a three.
02:39Because in that 4-2-3-1, you could make a case for Peru playing in the kind of 10, maybe off Calvert-Lewin.
02:46But yeah, it's tough because I like him.
02:49I think he's an excellent finisher.
02:50So I still think he's the best finisher in the squad.
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