Leeds United vs West Ham
Leeds United manager Daniel Farke is under some pressure following a run of back-to-back Premier League defeats. They are on a run of one win in seven, but the nature of their defeat at Burnley last weekend has raised doubts about the team’s overall quality.
The 2-0 defeat at Turf Moor exposed some of the frailties of the Leeds squad, which were being masked through resilience, grit and determination against better quality opponents.
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However, Burnley, one of Leeds’ relegation rivals, were happy to sit back and pick Leeds off while Farke’s side squandered another handful of chances in front of goal to expose the fact that they do not have a clinical goalscorer in their ranks.
Leeds are under pressure, not just to put out a more positive performance, but also to win all three points when they take on West Ham at Elland Road tonight.
Is the Leeds United manager sure about his assessment of the team and his future?
The Leeds manager has insisted that he has been dealing with rumours of his sacking since he arrived at Elland Road, and even in the week in the Championship when the Whites didn’t win, he had to deal with that speculation.
There are suggestions that the axe could fall on him if Leeds lose at home against West Ham, but Farke doesn’t seem too bothered about the rumours.
He insisted that he and the club hierarchy are aware of the truth that Leeds are in the right direction under him in the Premier League this season.
“For the first two years after each and every draw, there are sacking rumours about the manager”, Farke said.
“This is how it works. Last season, after each and every draw, there were sack rumours, not after a loss, but after a draw. We’ve played the best season in the history of this club, 100 points, best goal difference ever, broke all the records, plus 65 goal difference, nearly 100 goals. And still, after more or less each and every draw, I was in danger.
“Even after winning the title, there were some rumours. And I guarantee it will be as long as I stay as Leeds United manager, after each and every loss, there will be these rumours.
“I know the truth, we know the truth internally, we know exactly what we’re doing. We’re heading 100 per cent in the right direction, we’re doing many, many things right.”
Are Leeds really in the right direction?
Leeds have looked defensively solid, barring a couple of errors, and seem to have a midfield that will not get dominated in many games this season.
However, their biggest issue this season has been scoring goals. Dominic Calvert-Lewin has scored just once, and their highest goalscorer is Noah Okafor with two.
Leeds are among the lowest goal scorers in the Premier League this season, with only the bottom three teams scoring fewer than them.
The biggest problem is that Leeds are not taking their chances, as they have created enough to score more than seven goals in their opening eight league games.
However, that is a personnel problem. Leeds do not have the clinical forwards who will be happy to bury their chances consistently in every game.
Calvert-Lewin has missed a couple of sitters, and Brenden Aaronson missed a guilt-edged opportunity in the defeat against Burnley last weekend.
Farke has been highlighting that Leeds are creating chances. However, he is ignoring the fact that his squad do not have the clinical forwards needed to convert those opportunities.
He is defending his players. However, if the Leeds boss actually believes that his team are on the right direction, given their goalscoring woes, he is in for a shock.
The 49ers have backed him through thick and thin, but back-to-back defeats against relegation rivals could be the last straw that breaks the camel’s back.
Leeds cannot afford to lose tonight, no matter what Farke wants to believe about his job security at Elland Road.
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