Leeds United striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin is coming in for criticism as he sits on one goal so far, but there’s some very important factors that many are ignoring.
Just as it was after Burnley, the mood is low for Leeds fans right now. It was momentarily buoyed by beating a woeful West Ham side, only for a damaging defeat at Brighton to bring it back down.
Defensively, Leeds were horrendous at the AMEX, but more questions are rightly being asked of where the goals are going to come from.
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Dominic Calvert-Lewin comes in for online criticism following latest Leeds United blank
Dominic Calvert-Lewin is the man tasked with helping fire Leeds to safety this season. So far, he’s put in some industrious performances to help United become a difficult side to play against.
His one goal came against a hapless Wolves, taken in superb fashion mind you. But, the rest of his work in front of goal has left a lot to be desired.
|Dominic Calvert-Lewin v Brighton|
|---|---|
|Minutes played|65|
|Touches|19|
|Shots (on target)|1 (0)|
|Pass success|5/8 (63%)|
|Duels won|4/9|
At Brighton, it was a different story, though. He was barely in the game throughout until he was hooked. The 28-year-old touched the ball 19 times and only competing in four aerial duels.
The anger at such a poor performance always leads to some players copping more criticism than others. Calvert-Lewin took plenty of the focus on social media. That was even though Leeds’ issues were systematic and ran from back-to-front, rather than front-to-back.
Calvert-Lewin, per Fotmob, has only registered 1.80xG this season. It suggests he’s not even getting the chances to prove doubters of his wrong. How can a striker underperform if he’s given virtually no service?
Dominic Calvert-Lewin doubters to face dose of reality after Leeds United injury worry
For anyone looking at Calvert-Lewin thinking he should be dropped from the starting lineup, you may get your wish. Post-match, Adam Pope revealed that the England international was brought off as he noted a slight muscular issue.
Should Calvert-Lewin now be facing a match on the sidelines, those who wanted him out will see what Leeds are like when he’s not there.
(Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Boyers)
‘A striker is paid to score goals’, I hear some argue. But what good is an accomplished finisher like Joel Piroe if he can’t contribute in getting the ball into the final third? Pressing, aerial presence, athleticism, hold-up play, running into the channels – all of these things are strengths of Calvert-Lewin that make him United’s best outlet up front compared to Nmecha and Piroe.
Take away that outlet and Leeds are all of a sudden much less capable of getting out of their own half playing directly. Also, we’ve just seen first hand against Brighton that we’re not good enough to patiently pass through a Premier League press.
Daniel Farke facing make or break week as Leeds United manager
Away to Sean Dyche’s Nottingham Forest, it may be getting to do or die territory for Daniel Farke. He certainly isn’t helped if Calvert-Lewin ends up absent.
Losing at the City Ground could be really detrimental. When you look at the games after it towards Christmas, any injuries in the coming days would be horrid.
On the striker, Leeds fans may just have to cope with Calvert-Lewin’s goal return not being where we’d like it to be. So, focusing on his strengths as a team is the best solution, rather than dropping him indefinitely.
More generally speaking, if Farke wants to keep his job, he’ll have to start playing much more to Calvert-Lewin’s and his side’s strengths.
What we saw at Brighton was the direct antithesis of playing to this side’s strengths. Whether it was asking Lucas Perri to pass short, asking Jaka Bijol, Sean Longstaff and others to be part of an intricate buildup pattern, or not going long to Calvert-Lewin. You’re going to get critics calling for Calvert-Lewin to be dropped if you play in a way that doesn’t suit him or the side that was built in the summer.
Read more: Is Joel Piroe considering his Leeds United future?