(Credit Imago)

Daniel Davis

Tue 24 March 2026 19:10, UK

Dominic Calvert-Lewin saw his lengthy Leeds United goal drought rumble on at the weekend, but he is not the only one to blame for it.

Despite returning to the England squad after five years out in the cold, the striker was not able to break his duck at club level in the dire 0-0 draw with Brentford on Saturday.

Worryingly, he has now netted just once in his last nine appearances, with his profligacy coinciding with the Whites’ wider worries in their Premier League relegation fight.

Daniel Farke’s side are without a win in their last six top-flight matches and have gone over five-and-a-half hours without scoring, proving Calvert-Lewin is not the only issue.

With make-or-break fixtures awaiting after the international break, Leeds must help their No 9 rediscover his magic touch. But to do that, Farke must reflect on his own shortcomings.

How Leeds are letting Dominic Calvert-Lewin down

Of course, Calvert-Lewin must shoulder much of the responsibility for his woes.

He squandered his golden chance to break the curse after missing a penalty in the 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace on March 15 and never really seemed to regroup mentally.

But last time out, he lacked support from his team-mates and manager – and that cost him. Indeed, his statistics hint at structural and tactical problems that are nullifying him.

According to Sofascore, Calvert-Lewin registered just one shot across the 90 minutes, resulting in an xG of 0.14. He also completed only seven passes and took 23 touches.

Clearly, he rarely found himself in the areas in which he is most dangerous, specifically in and around the six-yard box, and this has been a recurring theme during his drought.

Leeds’ blunt attack has also forced him to create chances outside of the penalty area, taking his focus away from what he does best: applying the finishing touch.

These goalscoring woes will give Farke nightmares, but he must step up, too.

While keeping it tight will likely keep the Whites above the dotted line, they risk being made to pay for their goal-shy, conservative tactics and stagnant individual performances.

It is no wonder Wayne Rooney says they may be sleepwalking to relegation.

Rooney predicts nervy end to the season

Despite having 14 shots against Brentford and dominating the ball, Farke’s charges were only able to generate 0.52 xG, again pointing the spotlight on his wayward attack.

“Leeds are in there as well,” Rooney said on the latest episode of the Wayne Rooney Show. “I watched Leeds yesterday [Saturday], and they were really poor.

“They don’t look like they want to score. There are no crosses or quality inside the box. Leeds fans looked nervous, and it’s almost as if they wanted to lose the game.”

With Manchester United up next at Old Trafford on April 13, the Whites will be anxiously crossing their fingers, hoping that Rooney’s prediction doesn’t come true.

But if it does, they will only have themselves to blame.