These are our four key takeaways from Leeds United’s Championship matchday defeat to Preston North End, which ended 2-1 at Deepdale. Despite a penalty kick from Pascal Struijk, the match is not saved following Illan Meslier’s red card.
Changes at West Brom and Darlow
It will take everyone outside Leeds United the next 24 hours to get over their Preston North End defeat. Following the fervor, enthusiasm, and hope of Saturday’s crushing of Ipswich Town, Boxing Day’s deflation struck like a ton of bricks. Outside the bubble, everyone’s emotional hangover will eventually pass before they can all clearly view the league table, the 22 games left to play, and the opportunities still available to the Whites. There will be no such luxury for Daniel Farke and his players.
The manager would have been considering what he needs to do to win Friday’s game at The Hawthorns even before the team coach departed Deepdale. How many tweaks is he willing to consider?
Throughout the course of the last six selections, Farke has only altered one member of his starting lineup. They have taken 10 of the 18 points that are available in that time. They have only claimed four of the final twelve slots that were available as of late.
This eleven-man squad could not start every game over the next nine days, as the German had already stated before the victory in Ipswich. The West Midlands will undoubtedly need to see switches implemented since there were none between yesterday and last Saturday.
We now know that, barring a miracle in training by Kristoffer Klaesson before Friday night, Karl Darlow is a sure thing. It would be unfair to assess the 33-year-old too harshly given that he has only made two starts in the EFL Cup and has only appeared on the bench.
But in the two starts he did see in the cup, his passing, kicking, and all-around backfield performance did not instill confidence. Whether Farke, Nick Hammond, Gretar Steinsson, and Angus Kinnear were correct to position him as Meslier’s rival will soon be revealed.
Archie Gray has faced difficult days at right-back before—see the travels to Norwich City and Stoke City—but he bounced back from those setbacks and is optimistic about his chances of doing so again today. The man of the match on Boxing Day, Liam Millar, gave the teenager a rough time down their flank.
Even though Farke acknowledged that Sam Byram would have only been able to play for 15 to 20 minutes, the German now has another full-back option for Friday night thanks to his return to fitness. To prevent more injuries, Djed Spence—who returned from injury less than a month ago—will be considered for rotation as well.
Farke gave the assault a rough time during his press conference yesterday, following the game. In almost every response, the manager brought up the lackluster performance of his front four throughout the first half.
Could Wilfried Gnonto earn his first start following the disastrous trip to Stoke City at last?
Struijk takes the lead
In the midst of the analysis surrounding Patrick Bamford’s missed penalty against Stoke, Farke made an admission. At that point in the game, United’s sole option to replace the number nine on their penalty taker list was a center-back.
Farke like to stick with the players who have begun the game since he dislikes spot-kick substitutions. After Georginio Rutter’s horrendous miss in the Salford City shootout, Joel Piroe was declared off the field, leaving Farke’s holding midfielders and defenders as his only alternatives.
It turns out that the center-back in question was Pascal Struijk, even though up until yesterday he had never attempted a competitive play. And what a peaceful spot-kick. Despite the prevailing unfavorable view of defenders and dead-ball striking, the captain stepped up and sent Freddie Woodman the wrong way, right in the middle of a chaotic tempest.
It was a significant moment in the game, and the 24-year-old deserves credit for it, even though he isn’t going to start taking them ahead of Piroe or Crysencio Summerville. The ball was marched back to the center circle, sending the ideal message to both supporters and teammates.
Rearranging the pecking order?
Farke was careful to emphasize that Mateo Joseph, not Bamford, was the beneficiary of the decision. Even still, it will be difficult for onlookers to ignore the sense that the striking hierarchy may be shifting on Elland Road.
This season, the former England international has made 15 appearances off the bench but has not yet scored. Although Bamford has often been Farke’s first choice when he comes off the bench, it’s difficult to recall the last time he made an impact on a game in this manner.
As a matter of fact, it has been two and a half years since Bamford was regarded as a reliable starter Leeds could count on to lead the team with a reliable end product. His momentum has been destroyed by injuries, and now when United needs a goal from someplace, a 20-year-old, he is being ignored.
The concept may not catch on, and Farke may decide to start Bamford in the first game of the following five straight games.
Farke has frequently praised the England under-20 forward as a diligent worker who is attempting to capture his attention. Joseph has been a key member of the first team in both training and games, as seen by his omission from United’s under-21 squad.
Although the former Espanyol forward is still in his raw condition, Boxing Day saw some encouraging moments. After winning a header in the middle of the pitch and helping Daniel James set up for the game-winning move, Joseph received loud applause. While it seems doubtful that he will replace Rutter or Piroe very soon, he is demonstrating that under Farke’s leadership, perseverance pays dividends. Not very long ago, he was regarded as Joe Gelhardt’s inferior in the hierarchy.
Giving up on third
Since defeating Norwich on October 21, Leeds has been ranked third in the Championship standings. Not anymore. Southampton has finally defeated the Whites following a 16-game unbeaten streak that started with a victory against United. Russell Martin’s old team, Swansea City, was destroyed 5-0, which was an exceptionally thorough method to defeat Farke’s team and reduce the goal differential to four goals. For the time being, the fixation on catching Leicester City and Ipswich Town, who are currently 14 and 8 points ahead, respectively, may be put to rest.
Before Leeds can even consider automatic promotion again, they must catch the Saints. It has been detrimental for Farke and his team to drop four of the previous twelve points. These are just not sacrifices the top three are making, regardless of how the losses and the draw went.
As much as we would like, the post-season analysis can concentrate on referees and lost opportunities, but the other three are resolving similar issues. The clear obstacle for Farke and his team to overcome has been away form.
Elland Road has shown to be a productive place to score points, but five victories from 12 away games is insufficient in a year where the top two are so consistently strong. There isn’t any room for error, and Leeds is now having trouble staying inside the lines.
