Saturday’s defeat to Burnley has come as a worry for Leeds United fans as Daniel Farke looks to guide The Whites to Premier League safety, and now Gabby Agbonlahor has had his say.
Goals from Lesley Ogochukwu and Loum Tchaouna saw Burnley ease to a second win of the season, a 2-0 victory over Leeds. But Farke’s men were easily the better side, even though they failed to score a goal.
Alan Shearer was shocked by Burnley’s win, identifying that Leeds had 17 shots from inside the penalty area and 19 in total. Indeed, Leeds had an XG of over 2.5, with Brenden Aaronson missing a big chance.
Lukas Nmecha, Jayden Bogle and Jack Harrison also had chances to score but failed to do so. It was a worry for Leeds fans, who remain concerned that Farke’s side are light in the final third at the moment.
Gabriel Agbonlahor before the Premier League match between Aston Villa and Liverpool.
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Gabby Agbonlahor delivers new Leeds verdict after defeat
Leeds now sit in 15th place in the Premier League table with eight points from eight games. There have been calls from sections of the fanbase to replace Farke, but Aidy White believes patience is needed.
Leeds need a point a game to survive and as things stand, remain on course to do that. Every Leeds fan would take 15th position at the end of the season and Gabby Agbonlahor has given a new prediction.
Speaking to TalkSPORT on Monday morning (20/10), he thinks all three promoted sides could survive: “They could [avoid relegation], they really could. Especially when you look at the way Burnley grafted.
“They didn’t care about Leeds having the ball. They let them have the ball. This is the problem for some of the teams down there. This isn’t like previous seasons where promoted teams go straight back down.
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“Leeds, Burnley and Sunderland will all fancy themselves to stay up. So if you’re Forest, West Ham and Wolves, be very careful,” Agbonlahor said following Burnley’s win over Farke’s side over Leeds.
Daniel Farke attends a Leeds game.
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Why Leeds struggled in the final third on Saturday
Ultimately, Leeds were missing two of their most-potent attackers. In the first two games of the season, Farke started Willy Gnonto and Dan James, and on Saturday they were both unavailable from the start.
Gnonto was missing entirely due to a hernia operation while James was only fit enough to play the last 30 minutes of the game, though his recovery has been incredibly quick with fears he was out for longer.
Gnonto should be available to face West Ham, Noah Okafor could be and James will be more match fit for Friday’s clash. There is a chance both Aaronson and Harrison come out of the side come Friday.