We’re yet to see a goal from Dominic Calvert-Lewin in a Leeds United shirt, but once the service comes, the goals should flow more regularly.
A key talking point of the season so far for Leeds has been their attack, and how they look to add more goals to their front line.
The attacking portion of the summer window was seen as a failure, but Dominic Calvert-Lewin is eager to shoulder a lot of the burden at Elland Road.
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Leeds United striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin second in the Premier League for ‘near post runs’
There’s been encouraging signs from Calvert-Lewin’s start to life in a Leeds shirt, looking lively in both Premier League appearances so far.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin has only started on game for Leeds United this season. (REUTERS/Jaimi Joy)
While he will believe he should have opened the scoring at Craven Cottage when his free header from around 10 yards went straight into the palms of Bernd Leno, it’s a sign of what Calvert-Lewin is in the team to do.
So much so, that The Athletic have broken down each striker’s received crosses to the near-post since the start of the 18/19 campaign. In which, Calvert-Lewin ranks second out of all Premier League players:
Daniel Farke must apply more focus on Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s strengths at Leeds United
What does a player’s ability to make a run to the near post actually mean? Well, looking at Calvert-Lewin, there’s plenty that fans are quick to criticise about his game.
However, if Leeds intend to get the best out of him, it’s abundantly clear that crosses are a massive part of it.
So far this season, United have averaged a rate of 15.3 crosses per 90 (granted only a four-game sample), which has them 15th out of 20.
In order to maximise Calvert-Lewin’s influence in the final third and ultimately for goals, more crosses are required in general, but potentially into the area this report highlights.
Given Leeds’ regular starters out wide, Jayden Bogle, Willy Gnonto and Gabriel Gudmundsson all boast a strong delivery low and in the air, it seems an obvious tool Farke must lean into. This should start at Wolves on Saturday.
Harking back to some analysis I initially wrote on Calvert-Lewin when he first signed, his best season in 20/21 is the prime example of what Leeds must focus on:
Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s 20/21 shot data pulled from FotMob
As you can see here, in Calvert-Lewin’s most prolific campaign, 41% of the shots he took were with his head. If Leeds want Calvert-Lewin to reach the same heights, launch the ball into the box and onto his head as much as possible.
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