Former Leeds United forward Noel Whelan believes the current side lack the presence and aggression to deal with defensive set pieces – claiming they are a ‘massive concern’ as the Whites look to secure promotion in the second half of the season.
[freshpress-poll id=”264639″]
Marcelo Bielsa’s side escaped with a point from their Championship summit clash with West Brom having conceded early on from a corner that was eventually converted thanks to Semi Ajayi, who would go on to come to Leeds’ rescue with his second-half own-goal.
However, Whelan highlighted the worries he has over the Whites’ inability to defend capably at set plays, with the Baggies’ second-minute opener setting off alarm bells.
Whelan claimed that Leeds’ lack of height was a contributory factor as he voiced his concerns to Football Insider.
He said: “When you come up against players who are big and strong and thrive off balls into the box from corners and set-pieces, we are going to get undone, we can’t defend them very well, we don’t have the height or aggression to deal with that.
“It is a problem; it is always going to be a problem until the end of the season. That is one of my biggest fears – when we give away corners and long throws, if someone’s got the ability to put it into the box, very rarely will we get the first contact.
“That’s something we really need to think about or get better at in the second part of the season. It’s not just been this season, it’s been about three seasons now. It is a massive concern.”
Whelan is right to take note of this apparent weakness of Leeds. According to WhoScored, despite conceding nine times from set pieces in the league (which is a fairly average total compared to their Championship rivals), they account for a rather large amount of their conceded goals.
Having shipped just 21 all season in the league, over a third of their concessions have come from set pieces – with a further two from the penalty spot.
That suggests there is something of a running theme within Leeds’ defensive performances, and ahead of the latter half of the campaign that could see the Whites finally reach the top flight, it is no wonder Whelan believes this could be a defining area of their season.
Though with their nine-point advantage at the top, it seems a repeat performance in the second half of the year should nevertheless be enough to see Leeds prevail.
Leeds fans, what is the team’s greatest weakness? Let us know what you think below!
