Leeds United and Burnley told to forget Premier League ambitions after stalemate
Leeds United and Burnley have “no chance” of succeeding in the Premier League after the 0-0 draw between the sides, according to Dean Ashton.
The Whites dragged out a goalless draw at Turf Moor on Monday evening (27 January) as the Championship leaders struggled to move through the gears in a dull contest.
Ashton, an ex-Premier League forward, couldn’t believe what he witnessed in Lancashire and gave the promotion hopefuls a damning reminder of the task at hand.
Speaking live on talkSPORT 2 [27 January], he said: “They’re the top scorers in the Championship, but [Daniel Farke] will be so pleased with the defensive side and how little they seemed to give the opposition.
“The big thing is, are either of these two teams expected and hoping to do anything in the Premier League with performances like we saw tonight? That’s the thing. They’ve got no chance on this showing.”
Leeds United tipped for Premier League failure
Ashton has hit the nail on the head… to an extent.
A top-of-the-table Championship clash should bring fireworks – instead, both sides seemed content with sharing the spoils.
In a match where defences prevailed and star forwards were nullified, Farke and Scott Parker must open their eyes to the realities of promotion to the top flight.
As things stand, all three promoted sides are in a relegation battle in the Premier League, with only Wolves preventing last season’s Championship outfits from making up the drop zone.
The German cannot afford to adopt a pragmatic approach this year, which could influence the players should promotion be achieved as expected.
Sheffield United and Sunderland remain in the top-two race, and with four sides vying for the two automatic promotion spots, settling for one point on the biggest nights will not suffice.
Nevertheless, there is still plenty of football to be played until the end of the season, and Farke has time to adjust his game plan when faced with top-level opposition – the Whites’ promotion aspirations depend on it.
In other Leeds United news, a Burnley player is “lucky” after what happened with Jayden Bogle in the Whites’ draw.
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