The #LUFC Breakfast Debate (Wednesday 21st September)

KRISTENSEN ISSUE

Firstly, what a good signing for just £10m ... Leeds really did solid business for a proven 24-year old player ... it is clear that the lad hasn't completely settled into a rhythm at Leeds just yet, but I do expect him to come good

EXPECTATION
Leeds is a different beast to Salzburg ... Kristensen is now playing in the glare of the Premier League spotlight, for one of the giants of English football ... he's being seen by a global audience every week, and he knows he needs to perform ... this weight of expectation can be a cross to bear for some players, although I think Kristensen isn't struggling under the pressure, but maybe trying too hard

TRYING TOO HARD?
We often hear it said about players "trying too hard" to make an impact, but it's never explained what this means ... well, you can have a tigerish midfielder feeling a sense of urgency to leave his mark and help the team get control of a game, only to fly into a tackle with two feet and being sent off ... in Kristensen's case I think it's more about him trying to have "impactful moments" as often as possible in a game, leading to him giving the ball away too often as he seeks that golden, game-changing slide-rule pass

When Ayling was doing so well down the right for Leeds, he made more passes inside to the CBs, DM or CM than he did down the line to the winger ... this meant possession was retained better while Ayling could get upfield, leaving the opponent's wide man behind ... he always seemed to have more space to receive the ball in as he progressed into the opponent's half, and this would either darw his opposite number up onto him, giving our winger room to attack, or draw one of the opponent's central players out wide, opening up space for a Klich or Pablo to run into ... this also allowed Ayling room to get beyond their full-back to the bye-line for a smart pull back into the path of a deep runner ... Bielsa Ball in a nutshell, and pretty much Marsch Ball too

Kristensen seems to be making more early passes down the line, trying to get Leeds onto the front foot quickly ... this is fine if the wide man has space to receive the ball in, but more often than not he is tightly marked so early in the build up ... there hasn't been enough play developed to start getting runners going and opponents dragged out of shape ... this means Kristensen is giving the ball away more frequently, and often in areas where he can be quickly countered in behind his position, allowing opponents free runs at our CBs from out wide ... there is only one outcome, chaos!

Should Kristensen slow down a touch, look for more inside passes first to keep possession and allow him time and space to get further forward, then we will see him start to make an impact ... we've seen very little of him getting high up the pitch and putting crosses in, because his early pass down the line means that too often our wide man is closed down, can't play forward, and is forced to turn and pass the ball back to Kristensen who is usually then only crossing the halfway line ... this completely takes away an chance for the lad to get up beyond the wide man, and gives him no opportunity to run in behind an get a telling cross in

SOUNDS SIMPLE
Because it is ... Ayling has been doing it for a while now, he understands how he can make an impact, but he stays patient and has no problem passing sideways or back until the space opens up for him ... Kristensen is trying too hard to show us he can be good, and rather than play so many early balls into 50/50 situations that make him look bad, he should slow down a touch and pick the sure thing inside so that he can begin to get further forward and put pressure on defenders

Kristensen is a good player, he's still young and he will improve ... if he gets it right, Leeds are going to have a beast of a player for years to come ... however, the key question now is how long Marsch feels he can give him to fix it, because it's not a talent thing but a mental one, and the lad needs to know he's trusted ... tough decision for JM to make in the cauldron of the Prem where every point is vital

Thanks for another excellent thread Matty Click