Back trouble: Leeds’ problems in defence
Leeds’ Premier League survival hopes have been dealt a huge blow by back-to-back 5-1 and 6-1 home defeats to Crystal Palace and Liverpool.
They have shipped 16 goals in their last four matches and have the worst defensive record in the top flight, having conceded 60 this season, and are now 12/5 in the Premier League relegation odds.
We take a look at the defensive frailties at Leeds, who are just two points clear of the bottom three.
Have Leeds always conceded easily back in top flight?
Yes they have. They had the seventh worst goals against record (54) in their first campaign following promotion (2020-21) and only bottom club Norwich (84) let in more last term when Leeds (79) escaped relegation on the final day.
16 – Leeds have conceded 16 goals in their four Premier League games in April this year, eight more than any other side, and one more than they shipped in January, February and March combined (15 in 11 games). Foolish. pic.twitter.com/hwvwIiB3J1
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 17, 2023
It is a continuation of a problem inherited by Javi Gracia that previous head coaches Marcelo Bielsa and Jesse Marsch failed to resolve.
Did Leeds strengthen with new defenders last summer?
Hardly. Right-back Rasmus Kristensen was the only new defender signed under Marsch last summer, while left-sided central defender Max Wober made the switch from Salzburg in January.
🇩🇰 @RasmusNissen43 pic.twitter.com/cs2WhfjDy1
— Leeds United (@LUFC) April 17, 2023
Leeds opted to keep faith in the likes of skipper Liam Cooper, Robin Koch, Pascal Struijk, Luke Ayling and Junior Firpo.
Has that decision backfired?
It has, in hindsight. Kristensen has not consistently reached Premier League standards and, while Wober has added steel and consistency, the Austrian has missed the last four games through injury and has been sorely missed.
👏 MW39! pic.twitter.com/kUoWG3DI51
— Leeds United (@LUFC) April 17, 2023
Stuart Dallas has been a huge loss since fracturing his femur in April last year and the form of both Cooper and Ayling – key to Leeds’ success under Bielsa – has wavered.
What else has contributed to Leeds’ porous defence?
A collective frailty. When Leeds lose possession, Premier League opposition far too easily expose their defensive shape.
Leeds United without Tyler Adams:
7 games
24 goals conceded
3.42 goals per game concededLeeds United with Tyler Adams:
24 games
35 goals conceded
1.45 goals per game concededTyler Adams is undoubtedly the #LUFC player of the season. pic.twitter.com/B6U5ptAGDA
— American Talents (@mericanTalents) April 18, 2023
Kalvin Phillips glued Leeds together before his departure to Manchester City last summer and, while Tyler Adams has been largely successful in replicating the role of protecting his back four, the United States captain’s five-match absence after hamstring surgery has been another big contributory factor.
Are the current defenders just not good enough?
Individual performances have not been up to standard and, as the pressure has mounted, the errors have got worse. Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher offered his brutal verdict after they were dismantled by Liverpool, saying: “Gracia’s come in, obviously Jesse Marsch came in for Bielsa, and they’ve got really poor defenders – really poor. They make big mistakes every time they play.” They are capable of better, but time is running out to prove Carragher wrong.
Where are all the leaders?
Cooper at his best plays a true captain’s role, but his struggles to get back in the side have left Leeds short of natural leaders.
💪 @LiamCooper__ pic.twitter.com/QVwHHoD49M
— Leeds United (@LUFC) February 4, 2023
Without the omnipresent drive of Adams and the guile and experience of Dallas, Leeds have a soft underbelly, no better illustrated than in their last two matches when they appeared to be competitive before conceding the opening goal and then capitulating.
