Here is your Leeds United morning digest for Wednesday, November 11.
Bielsa faces a pivotal tactical decision
After a bright start to the Premier League season for Leeds United, three defeats in their last four top-flight matches – two of which were by a 4-1 scoreline – have proven a reality check for Marcelo Bielsa and his side.
Yet each of the three losses posed the same problem: breaking down a disciplined defence.
As Joe Donnohue highlighted for Leeds Live this week, Wolves, Leicester and Palace are three of the very best counter-attacking teams in the league.
Wolves have generated nine shots from counter-attacking situations this season, the most of any team in the Premier League. Meanwhile, Wilfried Zaha and Jamie Vardy are extremely quick and dangerous in space, as Leeds experienced.
This leaves Bielsa with a problem, however. Can he instigate his side’s attacking play while also containing counter-attacking opportunities for their opponents?
As explained, Leeds were competitive in each match so there is no need for panic just yet, but the repeated pattern of the games does ask a question of the Argentine coach, one he may find difficult to answer.
You can read the full analysis here.
Academy production line recognised
Ten players from the Leeds academy were playing in top European leagues last season, more than all but seven teams in English football.
Per a recent study from the CIES Football Observatory, the Whites had 10 players that spent at least three years with the club between the ages of 15 and 21 plying their trade in one of Europe’s top-five leagues in 2019/20.
Only Manchester United (24) Arsenal (23), Chelsea (20), Manchester City (16), Southampton (15), Tottenham Hotspur (13), and Liverpool (11) could better that figure, and they are clubs with greater resources.
How Leeds training ground is shaping up
Leeds have long wanted to move their training base to a more city-central location.
Thorp Arch, based near Wetherby, is a state-of-the-art facility, awarded tier-one status when Leeds were promoted to the Premier League this summer, but its location problematic, according to Andrea Radrizzani.
As this update for Leeds Live explains, Radrizzani would like to move the training facilities to the former site of Matthew Murray High School, which would be just a five-minute walk from Elland Road. This location would be better suited for younger academy players, especially those from lower-income areas.
In September 2019, Leeds City Council agreed to sell the grounds but Greenfield Investments, the club’s majority investor, are conducting surveys and investigations to comprise plans which will be submitted to be awarded planning permission.
Given that it has been more than a year since the council gave Leeds permission to investigate the area, a further update on the club’s plans should come imminently, though the coronavirus pandemic likely will have delayed this process.
