Calvert-Lewin has become the first Leeds United player since Marko Viduka in 2003 to score in five consecutive Premier League home games. Before that, he faces a minor setback: a potential return to the England squad, with Tuchel set to announce the squad on Friday.
Therefore, the match against Crystal Palace can be seen as both a celebration of his fight for a place in the England national team and a response to his failure to be selected. In any case, Calvert-Lewin has certainly put Tuchel in a difficult position.
Leeds United put on a superb team performance in their 4-1 comeback victory against Newcastle United. Everyone played their part, but Calvert-Lewin, leading the charge, naturally drew the most attention.
He dominated the away team's defense against Malik Ghaf and Botman. His running, strength, ball control, jumping and passing are all excellent, and now his heading and finishing abilities are almost a given.
Calvert-Lewin scored 3 goals in 4 games before being considered for the England squad (this number will become 4 if the appeal is successful).
In March, Tuchel recalled him after nearly five years, but ultimately excluded him from the roster and chose Ivan Toni instead.
Clearly, playing in the Saudi league like Tony won't be an obstacle to selection, and the same goes for new signing Watkins. However, the Leeds United striker's consistent top-level form will undoubtedly give him an advantage in the competition.
As the club's manager, Falk inevitably favors his own players, but he believes that Calvert-Lewin, at his peak, was one of the best strikers in the world. At Monday night's press conference, he was asked if Calvert-Lewin was "undefendable."
“Dominik is a key player. If he can maintain this form, he is one of the best strikers in this league, which is the best league in the world,” he said. “You can already tell what I think of him as a player from this statement.”
The striker's resurgence at Leeds United has been quite evident. He has scored 16 league goals in 39 appearances. Previously, he had only managed 16 goals in 91 appearances for Everton.
All of this is built on good physical condition, consistent playing time, and confidence in his body. As shown in the figure below, the sample size this season is small, but last season his attendance was the best in the past 5 years.
When Leeds United initially signed Calvert-Lewin on a free transfer, the only gamble the management was on his fitness. They had absolute confidence in his ability on the pitch; the only question was how to keep him on the field.
