Leeds United were cut apart by a very efficient Leicester City side, being taught a Premier League lesson that will need to be taken on board for the rest of the season.
Injuries plagued the defensive side of Marcelo Bielsa’s squad in the buildup to this game but further setbacks were revealed in pre-match.
Alongside Kalvin Phillips (shoulder) being absent for the last two games and Diego Llorente (groin) yet to make his debut, Leeds were dealt blows as both Rodrigo (self-isolating) and Raphinha (ankle) were ruled out prior to kick off. The major selection dilemma that Bielsa was trying to work around was Phillips’ continued absence, meaning the midfield pivot was significantly weakened without him.
Not only did Phillips’ injury mean we were weakened at holding midfield, but because Mateusz Klich was forced to drop deeper, it meant the number eight role was lacking incision. Jamie Shackleton’s performance at Villa Park was enough to hand him a start, and justifiably so, but the naivety of the trio in the middle against a ruthless side was there for all to see.
The Foxes were blistering when they broke and our shape in key areas was exploited pretty easily when the likes of Harvey Barnes, Dennis Praet and James Maddison got up to top speed. A low block of five defenders and four midfielders is never going to be easy to break down but three players playing in very similar patterns makes the job so much easier and the lack of Rodrigo and Phillips was alarming in and out of possession.
Does Shackleton deserve more game time?
Yes
No
Patrick Bamford had two chances all game which he could have easily tucked away if in the right mood, but again, no runs beyond him meant that second balls dropped to the Leicester defence and allowed them to relieve pressure.
An early header in the first two minutes for Bamford came from six yards out but was tame and straight at Kasper Schmeichel, perhaps coming to the striker too quick.
His second was towards the end of the first half and needed to go in too for Leeds to get back into it. Latching onto a clever Luke Ayling pass, Bamford’s first touch ran away as he misjudged the bounce of the ball.
Maintaining pressure and remaining on top was the key issue we struggled to figure out until the introduction of Ian Poveda, which gave Jack Harrison a chance in a central role that he impressed in.
The on-loan winger was more active in the final third and didn’t allow the Foxes chance to get out, giving the midfield the balance and precision needed to try to prize them open.
Harrison managed to link up very well in the left-central midfield, playing in a very neat triangle with Stuart Dallas and Helder Costa.
It wasn’t vintage from Harrison but as the tactical change helped Leeds dictate much more and come within a whisker of levelling, Harrison’s influence was much more telling.
A 4-1 defeat doesn’t tell the whole story but it’s a huge lesson learned about the control needed in key areas against teams that can take advantage there.
However, six more dispossessions than Leicester with four in poor areas in Leeds’ half exemplifies that we struggled to breach a team happy to close passing lines in midfield.
Up next is another team well-versed with a low block and counter-attack model in Crystal Palace so training ground tweaks by Bielsa will be key to ensure that tactical mistake doesn’t happen again.