Inside Elland Road: Midfielders and leaders stepping up
Leeds United have dropped closer towards Premier League relegation after conceding six goals in two away games.
Leeds United’s defensive issues have become a real concern after the concession of six goals in two away games and the emergence of a worrying pattern.
There has been a sense of deja vu watching Leeds in recent weeks, particularly away from home. A relatively meek attacking display, the isolation of Dominic Calvert-Lewin or Lukas Nmecha and the concession of soft goals which give Daniel Farke’s side an uphill task in taking anything but lessons to learn back up north.
Of the three goals Nottingham Forest scored last weekend, Morgan Gibbs-White’s header was one that irked Farke and the one Leeds have conceded all too often. A midfielder ghosts beyond his opposite number and into the box, is not picked up by either centre-back and left in space to head home a cross from the right.
Lesley Ugochukwu opened the scoring in similar fashion when Burnley won 2-0 last month, as did Mateus Fernandes when pulling one back for West Ham at Elland Road. Wolves’ Ladislav Krejčí didn’t head home Fer Lopez’s angled pass to make it 1-0 in September but he did run off Sean Longstaff with ease before finishing calmly.
All of those goals came down Leeds’ left-hand side and that appears to be an area, for one reason or another, opposition teams are targeting. According to Opta, 39 per cent of chances created against Farke’s men are coming from that side, with just under 31 per cent coming in each of the centre of the pitch or right-hand side.
Six of the last seven opponents have scored from attacks down Leeds’ left-hand side, with Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton joining the four teams mentioned above. In those six games, the Whites have conceded eight goals as a result of an attack down that side, either directly from a cross or - as in Sunday’s case - a penalty for a foul from stand-in left-back Jack Harrison.
The potential reasons for that are many. Gabriel Gudmundsson has enjoyed an impressive start to life at Leeds but on occasion, not got close enough to his man or simply been beaten by a high-quality winger. In the build-up to Gibbs-White’s goal, for example, the Swede was trying to show Omari Hutchinson down the line and was not quite quick enough on the turn to block a cross once Forest’s winger cut back inside.
Potential reasons behind Leeds United weak area
But as a newly-promoted team who will likely finish within the bottom quarter of the table this season, Leeds’ full-backs are guaranteed to come up against technically and physically superior wingers on a regular basis. This is where they need help - and where some answers might appear as to why that left side is struggling.
The triangle of players across full-back, central midfield and winger all need to be working together defensively to manage rotations and double up on wingers when necessary. On the left side, that’s usually been Gudmundsson, Anton Stach and Noah Okafor while across the pitch it’s been Jayden Bogle, Longstaff and Brenden Aaronson.
According to FBRef, Bogle and Gudmundsson are making a similar number of tackles in the defensive third per 90 minutes. However, while Longstaff and Aaronson are averaging 2.39 between them, Stach and Okafor are combining to make just 1.32. Those numbers would suggest Gudmundsson is not getting the help he needs from those ahead of him, certainly not at the level Bogle is receiving.
Okafor was not signed from AC Milan for his ability to make tackles in the defensive third and while it’s important he tracks overlapping full-backs and puts in the yards, Stach’s contribution feels more pivotal. The German is making significantly fewer tackles, blocks and interceptions than Longstaff on the other side.
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It cannot be ignored that all three of Leeds’ right-hand side have Premier League experience while down the left, all three are newcomers. Adapting to the pace and relentlessness of the English top-flight can prove difficult for even the most experienced players and the slightest lapses have been punished by Spurs, Brighton and the like.
Furthermore, Leeds will be expecting to allow crosses into their box at which point the responsibility lies with those in central areas to pick up men and head balls clear. That has not been happening recently, with the centre-backs and Ethan Ampadu left looking at one another all too often while opposition players celebrate.
It remains to be seen how Farke will approach the issue of conceding chances down that side but it is something he needs to address during the November break, with Stach and Okafor both remaining at Thorp Arch while others are on international duty. Teams will only continue to target that area of the pitch otherwise.
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