‘The only thing about Leeds is…’ – Ex-Whites star expresses concern ahead of restart

Mel Sterland is concerned about how Leeds United have failed to finish some teams off at Elland Road this season.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side resume their bid to win automatic promotion to the Premier League when they play away at Cardiff on Sunday.

As it stands, the Whites are top of the Championship and seven points clear of third with nine matches to play but the road to their current position hasn’t been completely smooth.

Leeds have lost points from winning positions a number of times due to them struggling to grab a second goal and always seeming to have a mistake in the defence – especially when Kiko Casilla is about.

But still, the downside of Leeds hasn’t stopped them from being top of the table.

However, that hasn’t stopped ex-Leeds right-back Sterling from bringing up what concerns him about the Whites.

“The only thing about Leeds is they can’t finish teams off,” Sterland told the Yorkshire Evening Post.

“That’s the only thing that does you in as you can have 80 per cent of the game and lose 1-0.

“There have been games at Elland Road recently like that where they hadn’t killed the game off and you are under pressure then as the other time are always liable to score a goal.

“But you can’t complain, we are top of the league, we are doing well so let’s just hope Leeds can get back to where they belong.”

Sterland’s concern is a fair one.

Nottingham Forest and Derby grabbed late equalisers to draw 1-1 with Leeds earlier this season, highlighting worries that Patrick Bamford’s goalscoring ability wasn’t as good as many would have hoped.

But before lockdown, Leeds went on a five-match winning streak, winning three of those games 1-0.

It shows that Leeds have gained a resistance to equalising late goals and are managing to keep clean sheets when they need them the most.

Hopefully, once the season resumes, Bielsa’s defence can be as tough to beat as it was in February and March.

In other Leeds United news, a promotion-hunting club has confirmed a positive coronavirus test.