Defending hasn’t been too high on the agenda for Leeds United so far this season.
Just two games into their Premier League campaign and the Whites have conceded seven goals. They’ve scored seven at the other end, too, and neutrals have been treated to almost constant end-to-end action.
For Leeds fans, it’s been a little more stressful. Saturday’s victory against Fulham was particularly nerve-wracking, given Marcelo Bielsa’s side had a 4-1 lead and very nearly surrendered it in the second half.
But the early signs are positive for the newly-promoted side, even if there are some issues that need to be addressed. Realistically, Leeds will, at some point, need to stop conceding cheap goals.
Eventually, that will probably happen. The Championship winners kept plenty of clean sheets last term and, despite losing standout loanee Ben White, who returned to parent club Brighton, the Whites should be able to adjust to the increased demands of the Premier League.
The performances of Robin Koch will be crucial, though. The young defender, brought in from Freiburg this summer, has certainly had an eventful start to his Leeds career.
Against Liverpool, he was arguably responsible for three goals and at times looked out of his depth against a front three of Roberto Firmino, Mohamed Salah, and Sadio Mane.
And he was at the centre of things against Fulham, too, conceding a first-half penalty by lunging in needlessly on Joe Bryan who reached the ball first and fell to the ground in increments.
As Robbie Savage so astutely – and hilariously – explained, Koch should have pulled out. But he didn’t, and this will be another learning curve for the 24-year-old.
Decision making in the box, as a Premier League defender, is crucial. A few lapses in concentration have cost him early in his Leeds career.
Overall, though, this was a much-improved performance from Koch. He looked more secure alongside Liam Cooper, whose welcome return helped Leeds plug some of the gaps that were glaringly obvious at Anfield.
Again, this was by no means a perfect defensive display as errors allowed Fulham to claw themselves back.
But there were signs of gradual progression, even from his debut a week ago. Koch doesn’t look entirely comfortable yet, although players rarely do when they first come into a Bielsa team.
Given time, and with a little more composure, Koch should begin to form a promising centre-back partnership with Cooper, who will be able to guide him through the early stages of the season.
He won’t concede penalties every week, and Leeds won’t ship three or four goals every week. “This won’t be constant all year,” Bielsa emphasised after the Fulham game.
He was referring to his side’s attacking output, but his comments could just as well refer to the other end of the pitch.
Koch, just two games into life in the Premier League, clearly has room for improvement. But there is a reason Leeds moved for him when it became clear Ben White was unattainable and he will have the opportunity to show why.
