MOT View: Why worst performance of season may be best thing to happen to Leeds in 19/20
Leeds United are top of the Championship table with nine matches left to play but that does not mean that they haven’t had any poor performances this season.
Many fans will point to the defeats to Sheffield Wednesday, QPR and Wigan as the worst displays of the season by Marcelo Bielsa’s side but we believe that Leeds’ poorest outing came in the 2-0 loss at Nottingham Forest in February.
And while it was a shambolic defeat in the East Midlands, it was a pivotal reason as to why the Whites currently sit top of the Championship standings at this stage.
Sammy Ameobi put Nottingham Forest ahead in the 31st minute after Kiko Casilla failed to stop a relatively easy shot at his near post.
Forest continued to have chance after chance before Brice Samba pulled off a wonderful save in the second half to stop Liam Cooper from heading home.
Leeds carried on pressing forward after that but failed to create any clearcut chances to level to score.
Sabri Lamouchi’s men took advantage of Leeds’ failure to score in stoppage time as they sealed all three points thanks to Tyler Walker’s goal.
Joe Lolley closed down the under-pressure Jack Harrison, who lost the ball and allowed Forest to score one of their easiest goals of the season.
Stats by WhoScored show that Leeds managed 13 shots at goal against Forest but only one of those hit the target – and that was from defender Cooper.
Bielsa’s men completed 79 per cent of their passes and boasted a massive 70.1 per cent of possession but Forest still boasted more shots at goal than the away side.
Leeds were awful at the City Ground but their reaction since that game has been nothing short of superb.
As quoted by the Yorkshire Evening Post a few weeks after that loss, Luke Ayling revealed that the dressing room was at an all-time low after the loss to Forest.
However Bielsa’s inspirational teamtalk at the City Ground has since proven to be the catalyst to a run of five straight wins that sees them seven points clear of third with nine matches to play.
Leeds fans will want to forget that loss in Nottingham but, actually, it could be one of the most important matches of the club’s season.
In other Leeds United news, Gaetano Berardi has said this former Leeds player is now “worth a lot”.