Leeds United left Turf Moor on Monday night with a point in their bag following playing out a 0-0 draw against Burnley. The result helped Leeds to keep their tight grip on the summit of the Championship while increasing their lead over second-place Sheffield United to two points. The Whites also maintained their three-point lead over Burnley who are sitting just outside the automatic promotion spots. They are the top scorers of the league but the performance on Monday night was laced with pragmatism. It wasn’t pretty and both sides hardly created any opportunities but Daniel Farke and his side showed against Burnley why they are leading the league table and are firm favourites for automatic promotion to the Premier League.
Going into the game on Monday night, Leeds United knew that a win at Burnley would put them firmly in the driver’s seat to win automatic promotion to the Premier League.
Sheffield United lost at home and Sunderland only managed a draw on Saturday. Three points at Turf Moor would have helped Leeds take a giant stride towards their goal but Farke also knew they could not afford to lose.
Leeds controlled the game and looked a little more threatening than the home side but it was a game bereft of many clear-cut chances and it seemed certain that both sides didn’t want to lose the game.
Farke’s side showed pragmatism and managed to see out a 0-0 draw, which allowed them to keep their unbeaten run going while ensuring that Burnley didn’t gain any ground on them in the league table.
One could say Leeds should have gone for a win to build their lead at the top but the Farke showed on Monday night why Leeds are favourites to go up this season.
Leeds United are the entertainers of the league but they have the pragmatism needed to get promoted
The Whites have been the entertainers of the Championship this season. They are the top scorers in the league with 53 goals, which is 13 and 17 more than Sheffield United and Burnley respectively, their two closest rivals for automatic promotion.
While they do not have a prolific number 9, Leeds have several players who have chipped in and ensure that they remain a big threat to opposition defences.
However, Leeds have also been solid at the back. Burnley by far have the best defence in the league and while the Whites have conceded ten more goals than the Clarets, they still have the second-best defensive record in the Championship.
Burnley’s defence made it hard work for the Leeds attackers to get into any sort of rhythm on Monday night and Joel Piroe, the Whites central striker, struggled to stand up to their physicality.
However, the Leeds defence stood up as well and Burnley didn’t have a single shot on target as Illan Meslier had a quiet game between the sticks for the Yorkshire giants.
The Leeds midfield controlled the proceedings and had more of the ball. While the chances were at a premium at both ends, the away side’s pragmatism won them a point.
Leeds could have gone for the jugular in search of a win but Farke knew that not losing was more important and his side earned a valuable point against one of their promotion rivals.
Daniel Farke won’t change his ways
The pragmatic football Leeds played on Monday night would not have impressed some who expected the Whites to try and push for a win but a point away at Burnley is always valuable.
Burnley beat Leeds at Elland Road earlier in the season and while Farke admitted that the performance was not ‘sexy‘, the draw didn’t allow Scott Parker’s side to gain any ground on the Whites in the league table.
Farke is not everyone’s cup of tea despite his side earning 90 points last season and on course to match that points tally or go even better this year.
The Leeds boss loves consistency in selection and in a modern world where managers are always demanding new players, the German likes working with a small squad.
He has his flaws and sometimes his teams can look predictable but his pragmatism and love for a specific style of football can work wonders in a Championship where things can get chaotic.
Leeds fans won’t remember the performance against Burnley in the near future but the point could prove to be the difference at the end of the season where the race for automatic promotion is expected to remain tight until the end.
Farke’s pragmatism coupled with his side’s ability to control games can be the tickets that will get them into the Premier League next season.
