The 1-0 defeat at Fratton Park on Sunday has shocked Leeds United, who seemed to be cruising towards automatic promotion just a fortnight back. The Whites’ commanding position at the top of the table has been wiped out after they earned just a point from their last two league games. Sheffield United are level on points with Leeds and the latter’s buffer over Burnley has come down to just two points. The race for automatic promotion is tight again and Daniel Farke will have to find a way to get two good results before next week’s international break. However, Leeds’ poor form has coincided with the team missing one of their most important players.
There is a sombre mood around Leeds following two bad results. The 1-1 draw at home against West Brom was a red herring but the defeat at Portsmouth on Sunday set the cat amongst the pigeons.
It was their first defeat after 17 league games but it has come at the worst possible time given Sheffield United and Burnley have picked up form and are now breathing down Leeds’ neck.
The automatic promotion race is more alive than ever with ten games left in the season, and what seemed like it would be done in a canter, Leeds are now searching for answers at the business end of the season.
Daniel Farke will focus on getting his players back to their best soon but the Leeds manager cannot do much about missing one of his most important stars at this crucial juncture of the campaign.
Daniel Farke is badly missing his captain
Ethan Ampadu has picked up a knee injury and Leeds have opted against putting him under surgery to give him a chance of being available for the last few games of the season.
Leeds have taken a gamble as a surgery could fix the issue for certain, but he would be out for the rest of the season while the current procedure carries a certain risk.
However, Leeds believe it is a risk worth taking and his return to the team ahead of the end of the season could prove vital given how the team have performed without him in the last two league games.
The Whites have missed the captain’s calming influence in midfield and the team have looked less assured on the ball without Ampadu dictating terms.
A drop in the level of their performance means Leeds need more leadership on the pitch to help the team get through his bad moment of the season.
However, Leeds do not have their captain on the pitch and it is clear that the lack of leadership is affecting the team’s belief on the pitch, which has resulted in two bad results.
Farke will be monitoring Ampadu’s rehabilitation and hopes to bring him back into the team for the final few games of the season to provide some calmness to the team.
Meanwhile, the Leeds manager needs more leaders to step up
Leeds have a home game against Millwall on Wednesday night before they take a trip to Queens Park Rangers at the weekend ahead of the international break.
The last two results have made these two games important and Leeds need to get into the international break with six points on board and maintain their spot at the summit of the Championship table.
However, the last two performances must have ensured that their confidence has taken a beating and the psychological scars of last season’s playoff final defeat could start having an effect.
Can you name the missing sponsor on these 10 Leeds United shirts?
Without Ampadu in the team, Farke does not have the captain in his team and he won’t be returning to the line-up for a few weeks more at this stage.
Leeds cannot afford to drop more points in the next two games and Farke needs some of the other players to step up and fill that leadership vacuum.
There are enough experienced players in the Leeds squad and the team now need some of them to step up and be counted to ensure the last two games were nothing more than a blip.
