As Rodrigo strode back from the penalty spot, the clock was edging deeper into stoppage time and every set of eyes in Elland Road was glued on him. He buried his penalty, the ground erupted and the players went mental – they had salvaged a point against Wolves.
Marcelo Bielsa’s side have only managed one win out of their nine games so far this campaign, they find themselves in an early relegation scrap, every point is vital at the moment. After finishing in a comfortable ninth place last season, Leeds fans are beginning to look behind rather than forwards.
Is it purely down to tough opening fixtures? Injuries? Or maybe a spot of second season-itus has spread to West Yorkshire? You could argue that it’s a combination of the three.
They were spoken of as “a breath of fresh air” last season, with free-flowing football, goals galore and the emergence of some untouched gems from the Championship that are now fit to grace the top flight of English football. And while their haul of 62 goals was a very impressive return for a side who hadn’t seen the Premier League for 16 years, their leakiness in the back was always an issue. Whilst the goals covered over these cracks last season, this season is looking a bit different. They have shipped 16 goals so far, whilst mustering only eight goals in that time, which is merely a shadow of what we’ve come to expect.
Bielsa’s sides always leave their all out on the pitch over the 90 minutes, and that hasn’t gone a miss this season, which potentially is the only glimmer of positivity for Leeds fans at the moment. The manager is very consistent with his starting 11, so much so that this persistence will ultimately, and inevitably has, led to burnout from the majority of his side. A lack of transfer activity in the summer coupled with injuries across the camp have stopped any sort of rhythm from developing as it did last year. Daniel James and Junior Firpo were the only notable incomings to the side, with Pablo Hernandez and Ezgjan Alioski just some of the names that left Elland Road in the last few months. It should be noted that Bielsa has put a lot of faith in the club’s youngsters from the academy this season, as he has done in his time at Leeds. Whilst this is commendable and a good omen for the future, his priority would have been better placed with beefing up his squad in times like this. On the occasions when Leeds have needed a goal or two, or look to firm up the game in the latter stages, there are few if any names to call upon in these times.
This is felt more often than not with the number of players piling into the medical room since the season commenced. Arguably the forward line’s three most important players have all been part of this list, those being Raphinha, Patrick Bamford and Jack Harrison. Even with Bamford in particular being fit, he hasn’t hit the ground running as he did last season. He has hit the net only once this season, albeit with only five starts to his name. But for a player who mustered 17 goals last season, Leeds need to get their talisman firing quickly, or find goals from elsewhere in the team till he finds his feet. The same problem has been seen at the heart of the defence, with Diego Llorente, Robin Koch, Pascal Struijk and Luke Ayling all absent for multiple games.
It could be said that some fans have hit the panic button a little early into the campaign, and with 29 games left there is plenty of time to turn their misfortunes around. They had a similar points tally at this stage last campaign, and know that with the expansive football they play, they will always create chances for themselves. They are more than good enough to get themselves out of this state, fans will just be hoping its sooner rather than later.