Leeds United returned from the international break with a painful bump following their 2-0 defeat at Burnley on Saturday. Goals either side of half-time from Lesley Ugochukwu and substitute Loum Tchaouna condemned Daniel Farke’s side to a fourth league loss of the campaign on what proved a miserable afternoon for those travelling.
Leeds dominated possession but rarely tested their hosts, with concerns over attacking quality once again raised amid injuries to Noah Okafor and Willy Gnonto. Defeat leaves the Whites slipping towards the relegation battle they expected to be in and as the dust settles, the YEP looks at a few key takeaways from Turf Moor.
The big pre-match debate was focused on centre-back, specifically if Jaka Bijol should replace Pascal Struijk who while far from terrible, could have done better with recent goals conceded against Bournemouth and Tottenham Hotspur. Farke stuck with the latter but two very avoidable goals would suggest a change of personnel might have helped, even if the fault was not only Struijk’s.
Anton Stach was largely to blame for letting Ugochukwu drift into the penalty area unmarked but might Bijol, one of Europe’s best box defenders last season, have spotted the danger to head away? Possibly. And while Tchaouna’s 25-yard rocket was a moment of brilliance, the chance arose from Struijk’s loose ball, while both he and Ethan Ampadu could have gotten a little closer to the winger as he wound up to shoot.
Another game, another slow start, another early concession. There were a multitude of small errors in the build-up to Ugochukwu’s opener that all added up to a very avoidable goal, from Karl Darlow booting it out of play to Jack Harrison being left two-v-one out wide. Leeds have now given away the opening goal in all of their last five and six of their last seven, conceding four times in the opening 30 minutes while scoring zero.
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That statistically makes Leeds the Premier League’s worst team inside the opening 30 minutes, with an aggregate score of 4-0 in that time period a bigger deficit than anyone else. Top-flight defences are hard enough to break down at the best of times, but Farke’s side are allowing opponents to sit in and defend, which goes some way to explaining why they might dominate possession and record a higher Expected Goals, with Burnley perfectly happy to defend their lead on Saturday.
With chances rare and Burnley sitting tight, Leeds simply had to take what openings fell their way but another afternoon of wasteful finishing ensured defeat. If Aaronson puts the ball either side of Martin Dubravka at 1-0, the game is a different one. Equally, if Jack Harrison or Jayden Bogle find the net after half-time, there’s no reason why Farke’s side can’t get something.
But they all fell short, and the few openings Farke’s side forged came to nothing. Admittedly Leeds were hamstrung by injuries to Okafor and Gnonto, while James wasn’t fit enough to start, but neither Aaronson nor Harrison have provided evidence they can offer the attacking quality needed to survive in the Premier League.
The situation of the game will no doubt have played its part, but Leeds were intent on trying to get good quality crosses into the box on Saturday in a bid to bring Dominic Calvert-Lewin into things. In fact, according to Opta’s Jonny Cooper via X, their 47 crosses were the most by a Premier League team this season and the highest number Leeds have produced in a league game for over five years.
It’s how they equalised against Wolves last month before going on to win 3-1, and how they cancelled out openers from Spurs and Bournemouth too. Crosses from all angles play to Calvert-Lewin’s strengths. Burnley defended their box admirably on Saturday and chances were missed, but there is at least a blueprint that should work often enough with the players on hand.
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