Luke's Football blog

After another heavy loss away from home, it seems like the team is giving up and accepting the possibility of relegation , but what started this capitulation recently and how can they fix it?

Transfer Window:

The Leeds transfer window was solid as they brought in a few American internationals in McKennie on loan and Tyler Adams and Brendan Aaronson from Leipzig and Salzburg whilst also bringing Italian hotshot Wilfried Gnonto from Zurich in the Swiss league and Luis Sinisterra, who was impressive for Feyenoord firing them to the Europa League final last season to replace departing star player Raphina. They brought most of their players this season from the Red Bull clubs, as they also signed Wober and Kristensen from Salzburg, while also signing another midfielder in Roca from Bayern Munich. Their business was good as there were quality players among the group they signed, but why haven’t they banded together and done better than they should’ve done?

Lack of Quality In Defence:

One thing that has been a major problem for the Yorkshire club and is one of the many reasons they are in this mess is the lack of quality in defence. The club had the same situation last year as they conceded 79 goals in the Premier League, but this year it has gotten a lot worse, especially in recent times, as they have shipped 11 goals across 2 games at home this season and 60 goals already with 7 games left to play. Their defence is one of the weakest in the league with Luke Ayling and Junior Firpo as fullback options, who are 2 of the worst fullbacks in the league, and it doesn’t get any better at centre back with Robin Koch having a mediocre season and Pascal Struijk also utterly useless, and it’s showing as they have conceded more goals than anyone in the league, and it’s come as no surprise they are where they are, fighting relegation and low on confidence.

Terrible Goalkeeping Options:

Leeds have been shocking at the back, but in the sticks, Meslier has been just as shocking. In the past 2 games, 10 of the 15 shots on target he’s faced he’s let in, which is a shocking stat to have for a goalkeeper at this level. He has had some good performances in the past, but recently he’s been shocking and needs dropping, but the options to replace him with are short, as on the bench they have ageing goalkeeper Joel Robles, who has experience in this league, but he’s not good enough and wouldn’t be a solid choice to step in for Meslier.

Clueless Sporting Director:

Leeds sporting director Victor Orta is one of many reasons they have also gotten into this mess, as he was the reason they signed this unbalanced bunch who look good on paper but in reality don’t work well, and he is the guy at fault for that. Orta did the exact same thing whilst working at Middlesbrough in the past, as he created a hugely imbalanced squad that led to their downfall, and they have only recently managed to get through that time and are flying now under Michael Carrick. It was his decision to spend 35 million pounds on an unproven striker from Hoffenheim who has only scored 11 goals in his club career, which is turning out to be a terrible deal as he has barely been starting and when he has been subbed on he has failed to make an impact so far, and when you’re in a relegation dog fight you need people who will work hard and fight for the team, but looking at that Leeds squad you don’t see many players who look like doing that, which leads to my next point.

Lack of Togetherness:

The squad is quite a young one with a few experienced heads but there seems to be no togetherness as there were rumours that a fight broke out at half time in the Leeds-Palace game between Roca and Mckennie after Ayling shouted at them for giving away a foul that led to the Palace goal just before half time and the capitulation which happened in the second half was a reaction to that. It clearly hasn’t gotten better as it was a similar score line yesterday, and if they don’t stick together and fight, it could all go worse for the club as they could face the threat of relegation, which is looking likely at this moment.

How Can Leeds Fix This Torrid Mess:

For Leeds to get out of this mess, they will have to get some results soon, which they can do with the fixtures they’ve got coming up as they face a Fulham side who have won their first game after a 10-game losing streak and 2 relegation rivals in Leicester and Bournemouth. Those 3 games will be important to pick up points in as they could be dragged even further if they don’t. All they have to do is stick together and show some passion on the pitch, and more importantly, get the fans behind them as they will be key in a relegation dogfight.

Overall, I think they will stay up, but if they keep playing like they are right now, they will certainly be in trouble, especially with the teams around them who are picking up points, which they aren’t doing right now. If they are to stay up, they will have to sort out their defensive unit and make sure it’s strong, as they don’t want to be conceding loads of goals as it could eventually go down to goal difference, which is key at this time of the season.