Leeds United were the happier team at the Gtech Community Stadium on Sunday after their game ended in a 1-1 draw. Brentford have been strong at home this season, and the Whites worked hard to earn a point.
The two teams went into the break at 0-0. However, Leeds were the better team in the second half, and Jordan Henderson’s goal, which gave Brentford the lead, came against the run of play
However, the away side rallied to come back, and Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s brilliant headed goal from a sumptuous Wilfried Gnonto cross was enough to earn a point for Leeds on the road.
There were several positives to take from the game at Brentford. However, Daniel Farke is likely to be worried about the performance of one of his key players on the pitch.
Leeds United may need to drop Jaka Bijol again
Bijol had to wait a long time to get his opportunity for Leeds this season after he joined the club last summer. However, he has been wildly inconsistent.
He was a constant menace in the 3-1 win over Chelsea from attacking set-pieces, and the three-man defence means the Slovenian is now getting a run in the starting eleven.
However, his performance against Brentford was concerning, and he made crucial errors that led to Henderson scoring the first goal of the game.
Bijol didn’t make just one mistake in the build-up to the goal. He made three errors, and Leeds could have easily avoided conceding had he been on his game.
He played the whole Brentford forward line onside with his positioning, and his poor clearance fell straight to Henderson. Even then, his effort could have gone wide, but the Leeds defender deflected it straight into his goal.
| Tackles (won) | 1 (1) |
|---|---|
| Interceptions | 2 |
| Clearances | 5 |
| Blocked Shots | 0 |
| Recoveries | 1 |
| Ground Duels (won) | 1 (1) |
| Aerial Duels (won) | 9 (5) |
When a defender makes multiple errors within a span of seconds, it is hard for a team to recover.
Bijol is yet to adapt to the Premier League
Bijol joined Leeds with the expectation of being the first-choice centre-back. However, Joe Rodon and Pascal Struijk kept him out of the team for weeks.
However, since he broke into the team, the Slovenian has never really looked comfortable. The centre-back has struggled to get used to the Premier League’s intensity.
A shift to the 3-5-2 formation has given Bijol more support at the back. However, the defender still looks shaky and has been making far too many errors.
But Daniel Farke does not have many options on the bench who can come in and take Bijol’s place in the team. Sebastiaan Bornauw has featured twice in the Premier League in one-minute cameos.
It is unclear whether the Leeds boss is ready to trust the Belgian to hold down one of the three centre-back spots in the starting eleven just yet.
Bijol may remain in the team due to a lack of options. However, his performances do not warrant him a place in the starting eleven at the moment.
