Inside Elland Road: Defensive solidity is vital for Leeds Utd
Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s start to life at Leeds United has been mixed but he was sorely missed on Sunday.
After a few weeks of frustration in front of goal Leeds United fans mustn’t have believed their eyes when Lukas Nmecha tucked away their opening chance at Nottingham Forest.
What a brilliant finish it was too. Noah Okafor did well to nick the ball and Brenden Aaronson’s pass was nicely weighted, but all credit went to Nmecha who worked half a yard before arrowing a right-footed effort through the legs of Neco Williams, beyond Mats Selz and into the far bottom corner.
The joy of that goal lasted all of 90 seconds, however, and what followed was abject, Leeds falling victim to the same lapses in concentration that have cost them before and eventually losing 3-1. They also struggled to create anything of note, for which goalscorer Nmecha was not blameless.
The 26-year-old was handed just his second start of the season on Sunday, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin only fit enough for the bench after picking up an adductor injury at Brighton. And in burying his first chance with such conviction, he did what Leeds’ first-choice striker hasn’t been able to do.
Calvert-Lewin has done a lot of good for Leeds this season but his header at Wolves remains the only goal from 615 minutes of Premier League football in which there should really have been more. According to Opta, the former Everton man has registered an Expected Goals (xG) total of 2.02 from 17 shots.
With just one goal to his name, Calvert-Lewin is essentially finishing half as many chances as he’d be expected to on average at this early point of the campaign. Nmecha, meanwhile, has two goals from an xG of 2.17 including an opening-weekend penalty against Everton.
While there is still a slight underperformance, Nmecha is just about performing as he’d be expected to in front of goal. Moreover, his goals have come from just eight shots at a conversion rate of 25 per cent, while Calvert-Lewin is converting chances at a rate of just 5.88 per cent.
There was never a feeling Calvert-Lewin would arrive in West Yorkshire as an elite finisher, however, given he’d underperformed his xG numbers in seven of his eight seasons of first-team football at Everton. Quite simply, a player of his all-round quality who can also finish reliably would not be joining a newly-promoted side for free.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin was needed at Nottingham Forest
Where Calvert-Lewin excels is his ability to bring others into play and it’s exactly where Nmecha struggled on Sunday. Leeds could have gone long more often and with more purpose, but all too often the former Wolfsburg man was left on the floor crying foul after being out-muscled or out-manoeuvred by an admittedly physical Forest centre-back pairing of Nikola Milenković and Murillo.
Leeds needed Calvert-Lewin in that moment and almost instantly after coming on, he brought other attackers into play with smart touches. And while taking chances is hugely important for any striker, effective hold-up play is equally crucial for a struggling side who will often be forced to go long by superior, high-pressing opposition.
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Leeds have played some of their most effective long-ball football thanks to Calvert-Lewin, whose ability to make a nuisance of himself is almost unrivalled across the Premier League. Great hold-up play and smart touches are only a part of it, with just as much importance in his ability to affect defensive clearances, allowing those in the right position to sweep up loose balls.
That long-ball football looks to be Leeds’ best route forward at the minute, with Sunday's defeat at Forest highlighting a real issue in building attacks by playing through the lines. They are technically inferior to the majority of Premier League rivals but in Calvert-Lewin, have an outlet that when properly supported, can bring others into play in dangerous areas.
Daniel Farke simply doesn’t have an ideal option at No.9, which is largely the consequence of Leeds signing two free agents to compete for the position this season. Each of Calvert-Lewin and Nmecha come with their strengths and pitfalls but while the former’s finishing remains a point of frustration, he remains a vitally important cog in the Whites attack.
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