Daniel Farke must fix major Leeds United weakness as Fulham ready secret weapon
Leeds United are back in action this weekend as Daniel Farke’s side travel to Craven Cottage to take on Fulham.
Whilst the manner of the defeat was unacceptable, Leeds’ 5-0 loss to Arsenal was seen as somewhat of a free hit in their first away game of the season.
The Whites have proven that, whilst they lack that cutting edge in the final third, they can be compact and competitive with quality Premier League sides whilst at Elland Road.
When Leeds take on Fulham, it will represent the first realistic opportunity for Farke and Co. to pick up some points away from home.
But the German manager must fix one of United’s glaring holes if he does not want to return to West Yorkshire empty-handed.
Daniel Farke must address Leeds’ set-piece woes ahead of trip to Fulham
Leeds are reportedly looking for a set-piece coach to maximise their offensive threat from corners, given the heights of some of their new signings.
However, against Arsenal, it was Leeds‘ failure to be able to deal with set-pieces that came back to bite them as they conceded two goals from Arsenal corners.
Leeds now have the second-highest xG conceded from set-pieces in the Premier League, and Farke will know his side has to be better at defending them, especially on the road.
| Set Piece xG conceded | Premier League 25/26 season |
| Manchester United | 2.36 |
| Leeds United | 1.92 |
| Wolves | 1.82 |
| Burnley | 1.64 |
| Fulham | 1.49 |
| Chelsea | 1.39 |
Over the summer, Fulham have hired a set-piece coach of their own in Ali Melloul.
Fulham only managed to score four goals from set-pieces in the Premier League last season, but Farke needs to be aware that they could be a new secret weapon for Fulham given Melloul’s recent appointment.
Leeds’ set-piece struggles are not new under Daniel Farke
Aside from a few quality deliveries from Joe Rothwell last season, Leeds struggled to make the most of set-pieces from an attacking standpoint.
Defensively, they were not great either, as although they only conceded 30 goals last season in their Championship title-winning campaign, they conceded the highest share of goals from set pieces whilst also scoring the fewest.
In the Premier League, where clear-cut chances are already proving to be a collector’s item for Leeds, they must maximise every marginal gain possible to add more goals to this side and becoming a set-piece threat is definitely an avenue they should go down.
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