Leeds United had surprised the England’s football public when they gave tough resistance in the first week against Liverpool. Despite losing 3-4 at Anfield, Leeds did well and made it difficult for the reigning champions. Marcelo Bielsa’s men have always played open and attacking in the Premier League this season. Playing attacking did not mean Leeds could talk much. The club with three First Division titles is stranded in 14th place in the standings.
Recently, Leeds suffered a defeat from West Ham at Elland Road. Leading through a Mateusz Klich penalty in the sixth minute, the visitors managed to turn things around and win 2-1. Last week, Leeds also failed to maintain their lead after winning at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea scored three goals after Patrick Bamford put Leeds ahead in the seventh minute.
Bielsa’s attractive game has proven to have advantages and disadvantages. Leeds ranks third in terms of expected goals (xG) per 90 minutes. More impressive than Manchester City, Manchester United, Arsenal, even top standings Tottenham. Only lost to Liverpool and Chelsea. Leeds also rank fourth on the list of teams with the most shots per game. This means that the open play of Leeds generates quite a lot of opportunities.
Bielsa does not hesitate to show open play when facing a superior opponent. After playing attacking in the opening match against Liverpool, Leeds also played with the same approach against Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea. A thing that is rarely encountered because many inferior teams often play with low blocks when facing big teams.
Bielsa’s courage had enough flaws. Leeds has the highest statistics for expected goals against (xGA). Leeds’ open play made it easy for opponents to create opportunities against Illan Meslier. The coach who has been nominated for The Best FIFA Men’s Coach must find a way to make the Leeds game more balanced.
Another problem that must be addressed is defending in dead ball situations. Of the 22 goals in the Leeds goal, seven came from dead ball situations. This record is the most in the Premier League.
In the last two matches, Leeds conceded crucial goals from dead ball situations. Against Chelsea, Kurt Zouma’s header from a corner gave Chelsea the lead. Meanwhile, West Ham’s two goals were scored from set piece situations. Thomas Soucek equalized after a corner from Jarrod Bowen. West Ham’s winning goal was scored by Angelo Ogbonna’s header following Aaron Cresswell’s lateral free kick.
Bielsa himself understands this problem, but if he looks at the results in the field, he seems unable to find the best solution. “We understand this problem, and we are doing what is necessary to fix it. But it’s not enough, we have to work hard so that this problem will no longer affect the match, “said the 65-year-old coach.
Bielsa’s plan might make Leeds win despite conceding. With the way they played, Leeds were more likely to win 3-2 than 1-0. Even so, the productivity of the front lines also needs to be addressed. Leeds often failed to complete opportunities.
If you look at the minus xG goal statistics, Leeds recorded -3.9. The minus number in this statistic indicates that the final settlement is weak. This record is the second worst in the Premier League. One of the reasons was the productivity of the Leeds players.
Leeds were too dependent on Bamford to break the opponent’s goal. The national player scored eight goals in the Premier League. In second place, there is Klich with three goals, two of which came from the spot. Next is Helder Costa with two goals. The rest, five players scored one goal each.
The new striker brought in from Valencia, Rodrigo, has yet to find his best form. After being redeemed for £ 27 million, the 29-year-old has only scored one goal. Rodrigo actually has an impressive record in front of the opponent’s goal. From the last three seasons at Valencia, he has been able to reach double-digit goals twice. Bielsa must find the right solution to maximize Rodrigo.
Not a good start for Leeds after promotion to the Premier League this season. But the season is still long, Bielsa has plenty of time to clean up. One of the things that Bielsa has to do is to make the Leeds game more balanced or to find ways so that they can be more productive. Leeds certainly don’t want just one season in the Premier League after waiting for 16 years to return to playing at the top level of English domestic competition.
It would be interesting to observe how they perform and where they will be placed in England’s Premier League Table this season.
ASL
