Leeds United boss Daniel Farke pointed to the fact that his side will be on the end of ‘luck’ after their narrow defeat to Spurs before the last international break. But what most have missed is how the Whites have inflicted their own problems.
Losing a marker in the box in injury time allowed Bournemouth to score a late equalizer, and a combination of missed chances and poor goalkeeping from Karl Darlow cost Leeds points against Spurs. This weekend, the club once again missed four chances and left Burnley players unmarked and in space for both goals in the loss.
The same was Daniel Farke shook up the lineup with some changes after the September break; he needs to go back to the drawing board.
QUIZ: Can you name these 10 former Leeds United goalkeepers?
Aidy White thinks Leeds United summer signing should start vs West Ham
Jaka Bijol Credit: Imago
One player who has gone under the radar during recent defeats is Pascal Struijk. Graham Smyth noted recently that he was not fast enough closing down Mathys Tel for Spurs’ first goal at Elland Road. And last Saturday, he completely failed to challenge for the header as Lesley Ugochukwu had all the time and space in the world to score.
Former Leeds man Aidy White thinks that it is time for Jaka Bijol to bench Pascal Struijk for the upcoming game against West Ham:
“I think, from the Pascal Struijk point of view, don’t give the manager absolutely any ammunition he can use against you, when there is a lot of pressure externally to put Bijol in”,
“He played two international games – he has probably been signed as the number one starting centre-back.
“£18m is a lot of money to spend on somebody and Struijk might be worth very similar to that figure
“But as a player like Struijk, you cannot give the manager any reason or any chance to bring you out of the team.”
Daniel Farke needs to make changes
Aidy White is completely right, with how recent results have gone, there is no excuse to shake things up in this Leeds United team. From promising results against Bournemouth and Spurs, to one win in four games has not been pleasant to watch. And getting close to the midway point of the season, every dropped point counts for more.
