The #LUFC Breakfast Debate (Monday 15th September)

Good Morning. It's Monday 15th September, and here are the latest headlines from Elland Road

Last gasp heartbreak at Craven Cottage

In the cruelest of fashions, Leeds United were denied a hard-earned point at Craven Cottage as Gabriel Gudmundsson’s last-gasp own goal gifted Fulham a dramatic victory at the weekend.

Daniel Farke’s side, set up in a disciplined 4-1-4-1 formation, looked to be heading for a well-deserved draw after a resolute performance that belied a string of changes to the starting XI. Karl Darlow deputised ably for the injured Lucas Perri, whilst Longstaff and Aaronson provided plenty of engine in the Leeds midfield.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Noah Okafor (both making their full debuts) adding fresh impetus in the final third, yet without any creativity, the distribution just wasn't there. Saying that, Leeds were more than a match for their hosts.

They created the better chances for large spells, with Sean Longstaff rattling the crossbar in the first half after being teed up by Calvert-Lewin, while the lively Brenden Aaronson forced a smart save from Bernd Leno after the break. At the other end, Darlow produced a brilliant flying save to deny a Harry Wilson free-kick.

However, just as a stalemate seemed certain, a late Fulham corner produced an agonising twist. The delivery cannoned off the head of Gudmundsson and flew past the helpless Darlow, leaving the Leeds players and travelling supporters stunned by a defeat, snatched from the jaws of what looked to be a well deserved draw.

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Has Calvert Lewin done enough to earn start at Wolves

Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s arrival at Elland Road, a headline attacking addition on substantial wages but without a transfer fee, was scrutinised from the outset, compounded by his pre-season spent on the sidelines. Thrown into the spotlight sooner than anticipated due to injuries to Nmecha and Joel Piroe, the question of whether his recent performance have done enough to silence doubters, divides opinion among the Elland Road faithful.

His latest outing certainly showcased the battling qualities expected of a lone frontman. He tirelessly engaged opposition defenders Joachim Andersen and Calvin Bassey, drawing fouls. His most significant contribution was undoubtedly the towering knockdown that set up Longstaff’s powerful, crossbar-clipping shot. He even registered the game's first attempt on target, albeit a tame header.

Yet, a deeper dive into the statistics paints a more complex picture. While he won three aerial duels and had a shot on target, his overall involvement was limited to just 15 touches throughout the match, coupled with a pass completion rate of 62.5%. This placed him 11th in the Leeds ranks for overall performance, suggesting a lack of consistent influence.

While it's true the service to him was non existant, his low touch count indicates he struggled to get on the ball frequently. Ultimately, Calvert-Lewin offered undeniable glimpses of his talents, particularly his aerial threat and physical presence, hinting he has plenty more to offer once fully fit.

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Stats paint a worrying picture

Leeds United face a pivotal weekend clash against Wolves under a cloud of growing concern, as recent statistics paint a worrying picture for their Premier League survival hopes. With just one point salvaged from their last three games, the early season optimism, sparked by a rather fortuitous late penalty against Everton, has all but evaporated. That lone penalty remains Leeds' only goal of the campaign, making them one of just two top-flight teams yet to register a goal from open play – a damning indictment of their attacking struggles.

While the Elland Road faithful might find solace in a disciplined defence and a tenacious midfield, offering a foundation for battling supremacy, it is the glaring deficiencies in the final third that truly highlight the challenges ahead. The numbers are particularly stark: Leeds currently sit at the very bottom of the Premier League for shots on target, managing a paltry seven across their matches (fbref.com). Furthermore, they are the only top-flight side this season yet to register a single through ball in the final third (Opta), underscoring a complete absence of creative penetration and decisive attacking play.

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Why didn't Leeds get a set piece coach this summer

Leeds' physical presence isn't translating into effectiveness. Despite a squad with a noticeable height advantage, they find themselves in the bottom three for aerial duels won, averaging a paltry 12.5 successful headers per game (Whoscored.com).

This statistic is particularly troubling given the potential for set-pieces to offer an alternative route to goal, especially for a team struggling with open play. The revelation that Leeds plan to employ the services of a set-piece coach, while desperately needed, begs the critical question: why was this not addressed during the summer transfer window?

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Morning all

I can't believe we only have one player capable of taking set pieces and he is the tallest on the pitch

If we faced ourselves two seasons or more back, we would be **** scared of every set piece with the height in the team, it's astonishing really that we can't and don't make it count.

Farkes fault, 49ers fault, I don't care really, it's basic stuff and it should have been fixed long ago

We're not in the bottom three, I'll end it there

 

Morning all. U10's match yesterday and the standard of corner taking was way superior to ours. Not a whole lot to say that hasn't been said over and over about our predicament except we probably need 7 points from next 12 to have a realistic chance of survival. Horrible run of games coming after. that. However Ive no clue where a goal is going to come from let alone severals

 

Problem is it has hit the critical stage far too early in the season, the pressure mounts and our strikers start to panic and tighten up in front of goal.

Too early to start tinkering but with the amount of CBs we have I'd be tempted 5-3-2 with very attacking full backs making it almost 3-5-2

 

Blame the 49ers not Farke for our problems up top. No Farke fan boy me but he has a right to be angry but he’s an idiot for saying he has players who are having to play in place of players who never came. His man management at times is a joke.
It seems our target list was based on as cheap as possible and for offensive players to be cheap due to injury history and hope they come good.

on DCL I think he is starting to look better and with luck he would have bagged maybe 3 goals, but we have had no luck this season so far as was proved on Saturday. To get DCL stats up he needs service, he does do a job defending from the front so not all stats show that. We need Dam James back to his best but if not Gnonto and Bogle can do it and we need Okafor to do a Solomon and go past people and get the ball in. Too much going backwards from our wings and why our shots at goal ratio has halved. We cannot pass teams off the park in the final third all the time so we have to play a more direct style at times and get the use out of DCL arial prowess and hold up play. Here’s hoping for some luck soon

 

Our xg is better than Wolves, Villa, Burnley & Sunderland so I think our attack isn’t as bad as we’re making out. We’ve just been a bit unlucky and others have been lucky. We’ve are creating chances it’s just never going to be as many as last season and you have to put them away as you don’t get as many. I think we’ve shown a good account of ourselves so far except for Arsenal against established PL sides so I think we’ll be okay and the goals will start going in. Gut wrenching to lose at the end like we did but if we got a 0-0 against Fulham away I think we’d all have been more than happy. Similar performance at Wolves and we’ll pick up at least a point, if not 3.

 

It might have been Milky - Someone pointed out that last season, DCL had the worst XG in the Premier League so I don't think it is just his injury record we need to worry about

 

guilty. Worst last year, 2nd worst the year before. Everton fan I know thinks he’s a great player until you put a goal in front of him

 

The weekend was disappointing and a draw was the least we could have hoped for. Hopeful that DCL will regain his scoring form and receive the support he needs from a supply perspective. Good to see Scum got spanked 3-0 as well..

 

I think people need to draw breath before advocating changes to formations and personnel. We should really have 5 points based on the games we’ve had and that would be a good return from the fixtures we’ve had.

we’re all wondering where the goals will come from but we also all know how this works… if we go more attacking we’ll be worse defensively. At the moment we’re competitive in games. Hang on to that.

 

Wolves and West Ham coming up are surely games we have to be more attacking. If not in those games Ill worry

 

I still think we need to be keeping it tight and staying in games. But we need 4 points from those two. Just take the chance/s we get. West Ham probably the worst defensively we’ve played so should see how we go against them, I think a draw at Molineux would be a good result.

 

agree, wolves haven't looked as bad on the eye as their results

 

interestingly.. ok you can be the judge of that... Mr lightweight Aaronson topped the tackles won stat (6) in the game the duels won (9)... duels are all 50:50s including headers

 

We need our creative players to create and that bit of flair we know they have to work. You dont get many chances in this league at our level so Aaronson, Okafor, James, Harrison, Bogle, Gudmundson, Gnonto, DCL, Nmecha need to do it.mstach can also contribute too if he gets a shot on target