With Leeds United suffering a disappointing defeat as we hosted Swansea City ahead of the September international break kicking in, one of the big topics of conversation for fans in the last fortnight has been should manager Marcelo Bielsa pivot from his one up front system, and go with both Patrick Bamford and on loan Arsenal starlet, Eddie Nketiah, in an effort to improve our goals to chances ratio.
With plenty of chances and efforts created since the Argentine gaffer walked through the Elland Road doors, conversion as always been our Achilles Heel, and plenty of fans are already worrying that it will again cost us promotion following on from last season’s disappointment.
As former Leeds star Jermaine Beckford makes more of a move into the media, he told Football League World this last week, that although he’d love to see the duo line up together in the starting XI, ultimately, we have to trust Bielsa’s decisions, as those decisions have been the reason for our significant upturn in form.
“I’m a striker and I like seeing lots of strikers on the pitch because the more strikers that are on the pitch, the more goals you’re likely to score. However, by having more forwards in the team, you do have to give some leeway somewhere else. One of the reasons I think Leeds have been so successful since the boss has taken over is because he’s got the right formula, the right players in the right positions. If you take one of those other players out of their positions and play the two boys up-front, it might not work and it might not be as effective as it is at the moment.”
It won’t stop fans from discussing two up front, and there’s no reason why it should, it’s what fans do, but Beckford is right in terms of highlighting the team balance. I’m sure we’ll see even more of Nketiah as the season progresses, and even if only as a substitute option, I’m sure we’ll see two up front at times as well.
Previous Article:
Leeds Talent Takes MotM On Debut As He Gets His Loan Spell Up & Running In The Perfect Way