Alan Shearer delivers Leeds verdict after loss v Villa
Alan Shearer said that he was expecting so much from Leeds United in the game against Aston Villa on Saturday but admitted they gave nothing.
He said he was surprised at how “flat” they were and lacking in energy.
However, talking on Premier League Productions after the game, Shearer said this was down to Aston Villa.
“When we spoke about Leeds before the game we mentioned excitement, pressing goals, creativity,” Shearer said.
“There was none of that, none of that at all. The reason was because of Aston Villa, how they went about their job.
“Straight from the off, they went after Leeds, they had a game plan, they kicked it long.
“They then played one and two-touch football in the final third and they never gave Leeds a chance to settle, never gave them a chance to get into the game.
“Leeds were flat, low on energy, which was surprising. But you have to say well done to Aston Villa because we said at half-time, they did a job on them.
“We expected so much more from Leeds in the second half, that never came again.
“That was all because of the way Aston Villa set up and how they went about their job.”
At least we’re Leeds
We can’t argue with Shearer’s assessment.
We’ve been spoiled under Bielsa and we’re always expecting fireworks from this Leeds side.
Even if we lose, we generally go down in glory, after a blizzard of shots and missed opportunities.
There was none of that on Saturday.
However, what we would say is that if this was a positive performance from Villa we’d hate to see a negative one.
There was very little to enjoy about the game and we’d go as far as to say it’s the worst we’ve seen under Bielsa in the Premier League.
Leeds need Kalvin Phillips back. That much is obvious, and it was his absence more than anything that led to such a flat performance.
He’s the player that pulls the strings and gets Leeds on the front foot so quickly.
Hopefully, there’s enough time between now and the West Ham game next Monday for him to get himself fit.
In other Leeds United news, ‘You seem fairly certain’: Phil Hay delivers transfer update as Leeds plot swoop for midfielders