Sport
Forget the compliments, Leeds need to start earning points
David Moyes was magnanimous in victory. The West Ham United manager was full of praise for his players after they came from behind to beat Leeds United 2-1 on Saturday. But Moyes reserved his best compliments for the defeated hosts in his post-match press conference at Elland Road.
“I really think their style is unique. There are not many teams I think in world football who play like Leeds United,” the Scot gushed. “They’re a brilliant addition to the Premier League. If I was a supporter I would be looking forward to watching them.”
After a winless start to the new season, Leeds fans are growing tired of being commended by victorious opponents. No one will be panicking just yet but the 18th-placed Whites need to get off and running sooner rather than later. A failure to beat Watford at home this weekend would deepen their woes.
Saturday’s loss was a case of fine margins working against Marcelo Bielsa’s men. Leeds took the lead in the first half through Raphinha, but West Ham levelled things up via a Junior Firpo own goal in the 67th minute. Mateusz Klich missed a golden chance to restore Leeds’ advantage before Michail Antonio made them pay by slotting the winning goal home in the 90th minute. On the balance of play a draw would have been the fairer result but West Ham’s decisiveness in the box made the difference.
Leeds were excellent on their long-awaited return to the Premier League last term. They were never in danger of relegation. Some worried that they might run out of gas in the final few weeks, but Leeds ended the season in fine form to secure a ninth-place finish. The Whites never lost more than two games on the bounce all campaign.
Their poor start this time round is not yet cause for concern. Leeds are still creating good chances: their cumulative xG of 8.3 ranks them seventh in the division. The problem is at the other end of the field. Only Newcastle United and Norwich City are averaging a higher xGA (xG against) per match than Leeds’ 2.05. Opponents are finding it too easy to fashion opportunities against Bielsa’s side.
That was the case at times last season too, with Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Leicester City and Crystal Palace inflicting heavy defeats on Leeds. Only West Bromwich Albion had a worst defensive record in terms of xGA. But their attack more than made up for those defensive deficiencies. Leeds registered the fifth-highest xG tally behind Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United.
That is the trade-off inherent in Bielsa’s style of play. It is not a coincidence that Leeds matches often resemble basketball games. Bielsa knows his side will concede a high number of chances, but he reasons that their approach will generate a high number of chances too. Over the course of a season, these two factors should even out.
It is too simplistic to say that opposing teams have worked Leeds out but it is certainly true that they are learning to exploit the drawbacks of their man-marking system. Manchester United did this to great effect on the opening weekend, and others have also used it to their advantage by strategically dragging Leeds players out of position.
The risk for Bielsa is that a season of under-performance in attack could be disastrous. Leeds are undershooting their xG so far this term. If that continues, they might not score enough goals to balance out the chances they concede. The Argentine must also ensure his players remain committed to what he is telling them to do. His style of play requires wholehearted dedication.
Yet the calls for Bielsa to change his ways are not just futile but short-sighted too. The Argentine’s methods returned Leeds to the Premier League, then secured them a top-half finish at the first time of asking. Abandoning the principles that have brought the club so much success at the first hint of trouble would be nonsensical.
Leeds are going through a sticky patch but they will almost certainly come out of it. Their supporters will be happy for Xisco Munoz to keep his compliments to himself this weekend, as long as that means his Watford team have been beaten.
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