What happened at Crawley, and what can we learn?

Histon, Hereford, Newport, Sutton. Crawley are the newest squad to add themselves to the list of Leeds United’s more embarrassing cup moments. As much as it might sting, it’s important to look into the match and see what exactly went wrong, and what exactly can be done to fix it for bigger matches.

THE HEART OF A SQUAD

Leeds United’s current tactical outlook is heavily reliant on the midfield. Kalvin Phillips is the defensive powerhouse that breaks down opposition attacks. Mateusz Klich is the playmaker, hunting for opportunities to drive the team forward into the opposing half. The tip of the spear is typically Rodrigo (at least in the Premier League), finding a final killer ball that splits the opposition wide open.

By comparison, in this match we saw a very different midfield. Having three at the back means the side is reliant on two central players. The previous control (sorry Square Ball listeners) is lost as the well-balanced triangle of Phillips, Klich and Rodrigo is split. Klich didn’t play, Kalvin was shifted to center-back and Rodrigo played up front, leaving a midfield of Struijk and Hernandez. With a lack of control in the middle of the park, attacks lacked a bit of spark, relying on Poveda to try and get creative rather than effectively building up.

Crawley revealed to us that a strong midfield is invaluable to our side, and showed the vulnerability that lies underneath when that central triangle is disrupted. No better time to find a staffing shortage than a transfer window though, right?

LEADING FROM THE BACK

In recent weeks, Luke Ayling has been praised for his leadership. After he reportedly screamed at Raphinha to “do it f***ing right” in a recent match, it’s easy to see why our players look quite disciplined with Ayling’s commanding presence, even in spite of an injury-plagued side.

Luke Ayling, however, was not present this weekend.

The first half saw Liam Cooper at the back, paired with Leif Davisand Kalvin Phillips. Now, this wasn’t too bad and it acted as a sturdy base for the side to build from and go forwards. The issues arose in the second half, when the back line shifted to have two centre-backs, Oliver Casey and Kalvin Phillips, with Shackleton and Alioski playing out wide.

The defence had lost leadership, and with it, it’s structure. In the first goal, Casey and Phillips both seemed confused as to who was challenging the Crawley forward, allowing him to fire home at the far post. The second was hit directly at Casilla, who unsurprisingly allowed the ball in after Casey was outpaced by goalscorer Ashley Nadeson. Following this and a third Crawley goal (this time from a set-piece), the back line’s confidence was in tatters, as Casilla was again found in no man’s land for what should have been a fourth goal.

Leeds’ defence needs leadership, and out of position players aside the lack of Ayling, Cooper, and even Meslier meant that the structure of the Whites’ defensive unit was basically non-existent.

FORWARD THINKING

Strikers are nice, aren’t they? Having Patrick Bamford come into form has been incredible for us this season, and whether it’s goals, assists or just general pressing work, a good striker can make all the difference in any match.

Patrick Bamford, like Luke Ayling, was not present this weekend.

The first half was okay, you could tell Rodrigo wasn’t quite in form as a striker but he did a job. The second half saw a front three of Harrison, Costa and Raphinha, with no recognised centre forward amongst them.

Now this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it can be made to work in the right cases. However, none of these players quite have the hold-up play of Bamford, meaning attacks were rushed, and as they were also being shoved through a hodge podge of a midfield, these attacks were relatively rare. For the way we work with clever build-up and darting runs, we need a more concrete centre forward.

THE CONCLUSIONS

• Our midfield needs structure, or else it collapses a bit.
• Our defenders need leadership, or mistakes sneak in.
• Our striker needs… well, to be there.

This shouldn’t be too much of an issue for league matches, but there is an underlying wake-up call. Mess with the formula too much, and you might just have an explosion on your hands. Let’s hope things are more stable at Brighton.

Joe Blackburn
@JoeBlackburn42