Good Morning. It's Wednesday 10th April, and here are the latest headlines from Elland Road...
Whites denied two stonewall pens in goalless draw
Leeds moved back up to second place in the Championship, after being held to a 0-0 draw by Sunderland. On the whole, it was a much better performance from the men in White. Their movement off the ball was a lot better and their passing crisper. They had definitely re-found some (but not all) of the swagger that had deserted them since coming back from International Duty.
Upfront was slightly different. They could still be playing now, and not have scored, yet, they had opportunities! The Whites were denied two stone wall penalties, and missed a hatful of half chances that would have found the back of the net just weeks ago. The visitors never really looked like scoring, Jack Clarke (the Crysensio Summerville of their team) was a constant handful though, but was kept in check by Archie Gray and Ethan Ampadu.
We must remember, Sunderland (up until last night) had only won once from their previous ten outings, losing seven and conceding sixteen times, the odds with bet365 football on them getting anyhting from the game were not good. But Leeds only managed jut one shot on target all evening! There seemed to be a lack of urgency from the players, which had filtered through to the terraces. The normally rowdy Elland Road faithful (you know who you are) were unresponsive for much of the game. The nervous energy filling the stadium finally cleared with ten minutes on the clock, but the substitutions came far too late to make a difference.
Forward line needs addressing
It was a brave decision for Daniel Farke to keep faith with the same starting XI that lost at Coventry, and it may yet pay dividends in the long run, as Leeds look to build on their performance, when they visit Ewood Park at the weekend. They must however improve drastically in-front of goal. It's easy to figure out why Summerville once again tried to go it alone last night, as Leeds frailties in the final third were lid bare, with all to see.
Leeds, and Daniel Farke must take responsibility. That had the chance to strengthen their squad in January, but didn't. Instead, players like Keifer Moore have taken the Championship by storm. His 7.49 'Whoscored' average rating not only places him top of the pile for Ipswich, but he also makes the top three in the Championship!
Bringing Messrs Piroe and Joseph on for the final eight minutes is a slap in the face to all Leeds fans. Bamford had one off shot target shot all night, and that is before addressing his shot to goal ratio. Expecting different results when doing the same things, may be an indication that Farke has run out of ideas; surely changes upfront must be made at Blackburn.
