Leeds United sent a resounding message from Elland Road on Friday night as they secured a thumping 4-0 win against West Bromwich Albion. We wouldn’t be wrong in assuming that the fans and the manager would have been worried before this performance as the Whites had struggled to get results off late. However, they put all the criticism to rest as they defeated fellow promotion rivals with relative ease.
Leeds United have struggled to keep a clean sheet and score goals freely since the turn of the year, and that is exactly what they achieved against the Baggies as they put four past them and kept a clean sheet.
Here is what the Whites need to do to ensure direct promotion to the Premier League.
Be defensively decisive
One of the most significant plus points of the game was that the Whites kept the attacking duo of Dwight Gayle and Jay Rodriguez quiet. Darren Moore’s side have the second best scoring record in the league and on the attacking front, they have been quite impressive. Meanwhile before last night’s game, Leeds United had managed just one clean sheet in the previous 13 games. As a result, they struggled to get results since the turn of the year.
Now, most of the goals which United had conceded was because of their own undoing and set piece defending had also been an issue. If the Whites can be a bit more decisive with the ball at their feet and try to be more forceful at the back, then that can help them. Pontus Jansson is one of the fan favourites but he has a moment of rashness in him. However, he was sublime in the game against the Baggies, and he needs to keep up this good work for the rest of the season.
Trying to take their time in the final third
Often managers want the players to move the ball forward quickly, and they want them to play with a lot of intensity. Now the problem with Leeds United has been the other war round. They often try to play at thousand miles per hour even though they have a moment or two to pick their head up and look for a team-mate.
This has been one of the reasons why they have struggled in the final third even after dominating possession. The players have been guilty of sometimes running around like headless chickens. A bit more composure would help them go a long way.
Have a plan B
Another area where the Whites struggle is when things don’t go their way, they fail to find an alternative option. For example -Often when teams have pressed them high up the pitch, they have fallen into the trap of playing too much out from the back. Sometimes changing from the normal course of action and launching the ball high up the pitch isn’t a bad ploy and the team should be flexible in its approach.
