Leeds United are going through a slump in form in the past month, and the club has now dropped to the second spot in the table. Injury crisis and an unfruitful January transfer window haven’t helped their cause either, and it seems like the team is losing steam as we enter the crunch phase of the season.
One of the major reasons for their recent downfall has been their loss of defensive stability. The club has shipped in 16 goals in the last eight games and has lost five of their last seven games in all competitions. Earlier, the Whites were able to see out a game with a one or two goal lead, but now the club is conceding two goals a game on average. That means that they need to score three to get all the points and scoring that many goals every game isn’t viable.
One of the major causes of their problem in defence is that Bielsa hasn’t managed to field the same back four regularly. Injuries and suspension have often tied the manager’s hands and Barry Douglas, Liam Cooper, Kalvin Phillips and Pontus Jansson have all missed games in the past month either due to injuries or suspension.
Having a stable backline requires communication and understanding between your defensive partners. The Whites have not been able to play with the same four, and that has been one of their downfalls so far. United went on a seven-game winning run not too long ago, and those victories were built on the back of solid defensive performances as the club had kept four clean sheets in those seven games.
The Whites have conceded a major bulk of their goals mainly because of their own undoing. The Canaries opened up the lead with Vrancic through a free kick which Pontus Jansson needlessly conceded. One can understand why the Swede committed the foul which resulted in a free kick as earlier it was his mistake that led him losing possession in a dangerous area. The defender was trying to make up for his mistake.
The other goal was the undoing of Adam Forshaw as he couldn’t release the ball soon enough and the pressing Norwich City midfielder dispossessed him. Quite a few sloppy goals have been conceded by the club in the past month as Norwich looked threatening every time they had the ball.
On the other hand, United have to work extra hard to get their goals because they lack the clinical edge. United play an attractive brand of football, but their supremacy on the top of the table was so far maintained because of solid defensive performances. Hopefully, Bielsa will get to choose a steady backline with most of the defenders being fit and available now. They also need to eradicate the defensive errors from their game if they want to get back to their earlier form.
