Connect with us

Latest

Individual defensive errors could cost Leeds United promotion – analysis

Leeds United are leading the Championship table after 29 games with 60 points in the bag. They have a two-point lead over second-place Sheffield United and a three-point buffer over Burnely who sit just outside the automatic promotion spots. Leeds are now the biggest favourites to finish in the top two and get promoted to the Premier League without the hassle of playing the playoffs. The Whites have been the most consistent side and are clearly the division’s entertainers after scoring the most goals this season. They also have a robust defensive record but the underlying numbers have a message for Leeds and they need to show more focus at the back as a collective and at the individual level.

Daniel Farke’s men have beautifully married control and aggression this season, emerging as the top contenders for promotion to the Premier League at the end of the campaign.

They picked themselves up quickly after last season’s playoff final defeat, recruited well in the summer and are now leading the Championship standings with 17 games left in the season.

Leeds United have the best attack in the division despite lacking an out-and-out goalscorer and while they should have scored more goals from the number of big chances they have created, the Whites are still head and shoulders above the rest when it comes to their forward play.

The Whites also have the second-best defence in the league, which was evident with the way they more or less shut out the Burnley attackers in their 0-0 draw at Turf Moor earlier this week.

However, their defensive underlying numbers have one warning: They need to fix this until the end of the season to ensure they get promoted.

Leeds United and individual errors at the back

The Whites have had stability at the back this season. The injury of Pascal Struijk has not affected them as much as club captain Ethan Ampadu has done well since dropping back to the defence.

Leeds had issues at the back at the start of the season but they have been frugal in defence over the last few months and have been regularly keeping clean sheets.

However, looking at the underlying numbers for the season, Leeds have one issue that they need to fix compared to their promotion rivals Sheffield United and Burnley.

While Burnley have conceded just nine goals this season, there is very little to separate them from Leeds if we look at the underlying metrics for the campaign.

A look at Leeds’ defensive numbers, they look impressive and on par with their rivals. Burnley are outperforming both on the goals conceded front but their goalkeeper is making more saves than Illan Meslier per game.

Leeds are comparable to both Sheffield United and Burnley on most defensive metrics but there is one key area they are underperforming at the moment.

The Whites have conceded four goals directly due to individual errors while Sheffield United have let in one and Burnley are yet to concede a goal due to one player making a mistake.

This is one metric that Leeds need to fix. As a defensive unit, they have been very good but unless they stop conceding goals from individual errors, it could come back to bite them later in the season.

Farke likes his side to build from the back and that often leads to a few issues

Leeds love building from the back and that is one of the key tenets of Farke’s style of football, which he won’t be compromising with at any given point.

The Whites have Joe Rodon and Ampadu at the back who are comfortable on the ball and are often starting attacks from the heart of their defence.

If we take the Burnley game into account from Monday night, the two centre-backs had the most touches on the ball and played the most number of passes in the team.

This style of football is pleasing to the eye and most of the Leeds defenders are good enough on the ball to execute the plan on the pitch in most games.

However, mistakes do happen and as we have seen, Leeds have already conceded four goals from individual errors and that could end up as a problem towards the end of the season.

Farke won’t abandon his style so the Leeds defenders need to be more precise on the ball and ensure that they minimise the mistakes while executing their brand of football.

Click to comment
Subscribe
Notify of
guest

0 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Must See