What a difference a year can make. This time last year, Leeds United were riding high. Having made a great start to their first Premier League campaign in sixteen years, there was a sense that something pretty magical was beginning to unfold at Elland Road. Indeed, those early beliefs were justified -- by the end of the season, Leeds would have 58 points and finish in a very respectable 8th place. But the hope that Leeds would kick on and perform even better this time around seems to have been misguided. Today, it’s not the European places that the club have in mind, but avoiding the drop.
So how can they do that? We’ll take a look at a few ways below.
Fresh Faces
Having spent so long trying to get back in the Premier League, it would be a massive blow if Leeds were to go down at the end of this campaign. But there’s no avoiding the fact it’s a possibility; in the betting market, they’ve got ever-shortening odds to be among the three to spend next year (at least) in the Championship, and their odds of winning individual match-ups aren’t all that much better. So what would improve Leeds’ betting odds in the Premier League? Bringing in some fresh faces, specifically players with top-flight experience, would be a good start.
Ross Barkley, for instance? Another option could be Lewis O’Brien. He doesn’t have Premier League experience, but his style of play suits Bielsa’s style, and the club has been monitoring him for a long time now.
Diversifying Tactics
Leeds seem to be running into the same problem that Liverpool faced last year: the tactics that served them so well in the past don’t seem to be working quite as well as they used to. When Leeds are on form, they can beat anyone. When they’re slightly off their game and the opposition has a sense of how to nullify the threat, they struggle.
No one’s expecting Leeds or Bielsa to throw out their philosophy, but there’s probably some value in adding one or two different tactics, even if they only use them sparingly. There are times when you can wear down opposition into submission. But if they’re stubborn, then something else may be necessary. The extra points that they bring might just make a massive difference come the end of the season.
Hope That Bamford Comes Back Soon
You won’t win games if you can’t score. And since Bamford’s injury, Leeds have struggled to find the net. Indeed, they’ve only scored around one goal every two games since the striker’s ankle injury forced him onto the sidelines. No one is quite sure when he’ll be back in action, but Leeds fans will hope it’s soon -- and that he can hit the ground running when he does.
Bamford brings more than goals, too -- he’s a leader who can elevate the performances of players around him.
Rival Teams
Finally, let’s think about rival teams. It helps that only three clubs can go down, especially since there are surely more than three teams worse than Leeds.
Newcastle and Norwich will be highly likely to go down. And though they’ve spent a decent amount of time outside of the bottom three, Watford should be worried too. Leeds have been a little unlucky so far this campaign, and there’ll be hope that once key players are back, things begin to improve. This might be a lost season, but so long as it ends with the club still in the Premier League next season, there won’t be too many sad faces around Elland Road.
