Adam Elliott

Wed 15 January 2020 9:28, UK

This column is part of a regular series from our panel of Leeds United Super Fans. Each week, our Super Fans will deliver their verdicts on the biggest talking points and news stories around Elland Road and Thorp Arch 

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Leeds came out of the festive period with only five points, albeit from a fairly difficult set of fixtures.

This included their only win in this time in the madness of a 5-4 against Birmingham to finish off a decade of football. Coincidentally, the first 5-4 win in the club’s history.

A disappointing first half an hour against Preston was soon forgotten with Leeds battering down the door for the rest of the game. We were certainly not at our best but a point was a good enough result in the end. As long as the performance level remains at this high level there is no reason we won’t find ourselves in the promised land come the end of the season.

The madness of Birmingham is extremely hard to dissect. The major positive to take was the performance of Helder Costa. It seems to be as consistent as it’s been in a Leeds shirt so far. He was a constant threat who now chips in with goals and assists fairly regularly. Harrison also continues to play well and Luke Ayling had one of his most influential performances for the club in recent memory with a screamer and two assists from full-back.

The top of the table clash with West Brom was not a classic by any stretch, but saw Leeds maintain a nine-point gap to third – all the more impressive after only one win in five games.

The game itself wasn’t a spectacular one, it remained tight and cagey and both teams cancelled each other out, with both Bilić and Bielsa seemingly happy with a point apiece. Leeds had some big chances to win it, but most importantly looked much more assured than they did in the previous crazy game and got the new decade off to a decent start.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t followed up in the fixtures that followed. Leeds found themselves on the losing side in the FA Cup clash to Arsenal despite a fantastic performance in the first half. That cutting edge in the final third, and clinical final touch is something that’s eluding Leeds at the moment.

However, there were some positives to take… the footballing world seemed to wake up to Bielsa-ball and the performance put Leeds United firmly back on the map in England. The football style isn’t such a shock for Leeds fans these days but apparently is for everyone else! Gotts’ debut after 36 substitute appearances without making it on the pitch was also a major bonus in a position Leeds have looked light in recent weeks.

If Leeds could maintain the first performance against Arsenal and the second half performance over Preston for the entirety of the season then they would run away with it.

Unfortunately, they followed up on the game against Mikel Arteta’s side with their worst result of the season so far. A promising first half turned sour in the Yorkshire Derby clash at home to Sheffield Wednesday. Allowing Barry Bannan to pull the strings and dictate the play saw Elland Road emptying very quickly as Adthe Nuhiu made it 2-0 in the closing stages of the game.

It’s bewildering where such a poor performance came from in a game where Leeds should be winning if promotion is the aim. Bielsa is winless against Garry Monk which is a bitter pill to swallow, made even worse with wins for Brentford and Fulham closing the gap to just six points.

With only one win in seven now there is cause for real concern. The same group of players for the most part from last season need to show a real mental toughness now. The fragility of last season seems to be showing through somewhat ever since Lee Tomlin’s goal to make it 3-1 at home to Cardiff. 14 goals conceded too in the space of these seven games compared to 12 in 23 games in all competitions before that. It’s not good enough, frankly. They simply cannot afford to make the same mistakes as last season. The Whites need to regain solidity and fast.

The statistics are worrying defensively and ones which Bielsa will be scratching his head at, and be looking to put back to normal in the coming games. Leeds no longer have the best defensive record in the division which now belongs in the hands of Brentford (Leeds – 23, Brentford – 21). The defensive woes have been a shock to all. I hope it is merely a small lapse and not a sign of things to come long term.

No win at home in three will have to wait to be put right at home to Millwall in two weeks’ time. With three losses in London so far this season, they can hopefully improve upon this against QPR in the early weekend kick-off. Their record in London makes for awful reading with only two wins from the last 24 visits in all competitions, including two defeats at Loftus Road last season in that time. Time to get back on track and make the ride to promotion a lot easier on our blood pressure than last season!

Adam Elliott is a member of the MOT Super Fans panel and provides his post-match thoughts on Leeds after every game

In other Leeds United news, Phil Hay says attacker to arrive at Leeds tomorrow as club looks to seal first major Jan deal