Leeds United once again slipped up when they had a huge opportunity to take one step closer to Premier League safety. The last five games in the league have been a nightmare for the Whites.
Things have just not gone their way, and Saturday was yet another example. Against Brentford, Leeds United were stifled every opportunity they tried to get near the opposition goal. And their lack of creativity and quality in attack was very telling; Calvert-Lewin had almost zero service as the team had almost all of the ball but failed to do anything with it. Daniel Farke’s men ended the night still in 15th place, but all their rivals play on Sunday and can easily close that four point gap from the relegation zone.
Keith Andrews takes a sly dig at Leeds United after Saturday night’s result
Graham Smyth described the football on show at Elland Road as ”horrible” and he was right. Leeds United barely created any clear chances, and the ball spent most of the time in the air. Brentford were happy to sit back and direct every ball out of the box. After the game, Keith Andrews revealed it was all part of the gameplan to keep his team in the game till the final whistle.
“We approached the game really well. First half we were excellent and controlled large parts of it and really frustrated them. Second half we knew there’d be a response and had a young bench, so it was always going to be the challenge of players sticking with it.”
Brentford were very happy taking a point away from home, and sit just six points away from a European place going into the international break.
Leeds had no second gear in the second half
| Statistic | 1st Half | 2nd Half |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 55% | 49% |
| Expected Goals (xG) | 0.25 | 0.29 |
| Shots | 6 | 8 |
| Shots Outside Box | 2 | 6 |
| Passes Completed | 227 | 227 |
It was very frustrating watching the Leeds United team try to break down Keith Andrews’ men in the second half. There was no consistent pattern in their football, and they had to resort to long shots and crosses into the box. This has been an issue with the team over recent weeks; they have all the momentum in the first half, but always fail to capitalize. Then they just fall flat in the second period and end up failing to take crucial points away from the game. Daniel Farke has a lot of work to do on his side during the international break.
