Leeds ace slams sub-standard display v Leicester after 4-1 defeat
Stuart Dallas has admitted that Leeds United fell below their usual standards in Monday night’s 4-1 defeat to Leicester City.
Marcelo Bielsa’s side fell behind early to a Harvey Barnes goal, with Youri Tielemans making it 2-0 before half-time.
Dallas got the Whites back into the game in the second half, but Jamie Vardy and a Tielemans penalty sealed the win late on.
“I think there’s a lot we can learn,” Dallas said after the match, as quoted by the Yorkshire Evening Post.
“I’ve said it before that you learn in every game you play in and this is no different. There’s certainly lots of things we can work on. We were below the standards we’ve set ourselves, certainly in the first half. We got the goal and we got back into it and started to control the game.
“Unfortunately we couldn’t get that equaliser. We’re playing against top quality players – it is difficult. You’ve seen the pace that they’ve got and it is difficult to deal with but it’s one of disappointment tonight because we’ve had a decent start [to the season].”
Wake up call
The injury and suspension issues facing this Leeds squad have been adding up in recent weeks and that seemed to play a large part in Monday’s defeat.
Kalvin Phillips and Rodrigo were both unavailable, with Mateusz Klich and Jamie Shackleton unable to impress as their replacements.
Klich, who usually plays further forward, had a particularly tough match in the deep-lying midfield role that Phillips usually inhabits, completing just 33% of his tackles and managing just three successful pressures from 15 attempts (via FBRef).
Meanwhile, Shackleton was replaced by Ian Poveda at half-time following a disappointing outing. The 21-year-old completed just 78.6% of his passes and only five yards in progressive distance. He also managed just one final third entry pass and no passes into the box (via FBRef).
In other Leeds news, MOT View: How Bielsa found the perfect role for out of position Leeds United star