It’s with a heavy heart I’m writing this, as my personal favourite Leeds United player says his goodbyes and moves on to a Premier League club, much to the chagrin of us fans.
Some could call him a mercurial talent, which I guess to an extent, he is in some ways. Others, like myself, see him as the lifeblood of the club this past season and someone who will go on to reach the highest levels of the game if he gets the coaching needed to round out the areas he’s had most trouble in. Those areas namely being his composure in front of goal and his decision making in the middle third of the pitch.
This loss signifies some things for the club. Firstly, what a travesty it was that we didn’t get promoted. Remaining a Championship club has directly affected our ability to retain players this window. Secondly, we are going to be a worse team without the dynamism, flair and creativity Rutter brings.
I won’t bang on with too many superlatives, as most of you know my feelings on Georgi and what he brought to the table for Leeds. So herein, I’m hopefully going to illustrate just what a massive loss a player of his caliber is by going through his stats from last season.
Rutter really shone in the final third last season and the data suggests there’s going to be a big gaping hole the club must attempt to fill.
Rutter ranks in the 99th percentile for progressive passes, passes into the penalty area, through balls, goal-creating actions, take-ons attempted, successful take-ons, and assists.
If that isn’t enough to make your head spin, Rutter also ranks in the 98th percentile for these areas:
Progressive passing distance
Progressive carrying distance
Key passes
Shot-creating actions
Tackles in the attacking third
Fouls drawn
Carries into the final third
There are a myriad of other areas where Rutter also ranks extremely high, between the 97th and 94th percentile, such as (in descending order):
Total carrying distance
Progressive carries
Touches
Carries
Carries into the penalty area
Ball recoveries
Interceptions
Touches in the attacking third
Goal creating action via take-on
These stats are pretty remarkable and when seen in conjunction with his natural ability, it raises the question, how the hell do we replace a player like him? Short answer is, we can’t at this level. Georgi is and always has been too good for the EFL and we were lucky to have him while we did.
While stats are a brilliant indicator of players excelling in certain areas, they don’t tell the whole story. The story of a player who always played with an infectious smile on his face, who was a joy to watch and performed more magic than Paul Daniels on his First Farewell tour.
A truly sad day for Leeds fans, and personally, this one does hurt more so than the rest.
Bon voyage to our marvelous Frenchman. All the best in your future endeavours.
Let’s Goooo!
Written by Dillinger August 16 2024 08:35:37
