Leeds United are in a state of limbo as they wait to hear when their next Premier League outing will be. The Whites were due to play Nottingham Forest on Monday, but the decision was made to postpone the contest following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
The move was made as a mark of respect for the Queen, who passed away at the age of 96 on Thursday, but there is also uncertainty surrounding United’s next game, which is scheduled to be played on Sunday, September 18, against Manchester United at Old Trafford. It seems there is a chance the match could be impacted by the state funeral and if that were to be the case, the game could be postponed and played at a later date.
With an international break scheduled for later this month, Leeds’ next game would be on October 2 against Aston Villa at Elland Road, a full month on from their last outing at Brentford. Would having a month away from the action be that bad, though?
Here, Leeds Live assess the pros and cons of an extended break for the Whites.
Read more: Rodrigo, Dan James and Leeds United winners and losers from season so far
Pros
Players returning
Injuries have been a key talking point this season with a handful of key men missing action over the first few weeks. Stuart Dallas is thought to be the only player with a long-term problem and although he has been running on the training ground, he’ll have to wait a while longer before stepping into the side once more after fracturing his femur in April.
For the likes of Rodrigo, Rasmus Kristensen and Junior Firpo, though, the break would provide the perfect opportunity to return to fitness at their own pace. They won’t be rushing to get themselves back involved and they now have the chance to make sure all the boxes are comprehensively ticked before returning to action.
The break should also be beneficial to Patrick Bamford, Liam Cooper and Luke Ayling, who are all working their way back into the starting line-up after spending time on the sidelines. Bamford has been struggling with the groin issue he picked up against Southampton in August and the club continue to keep a keen eye on him.
Ayling came off the bench against Brentford but may benefit from more time on the training ground and the same can be said for Cooper, who was an unused substitute last time out as he continues to return from a troublesome Achilles issue.
More time on training ground
Any break could be a blessing in disguise for Marsch, who would look forward to an extended period on the training field with his players. Leeds’ start to the campaign, although promising, highlights improvements are there to be made and the head coach will be keen to see growth at Thorp Arch over the coming weeks.
No fixtures would allow him to focus entirely on the job at hand, improving defensive structure and fixing what went wrong last time out at the Gtech Community Stadium. That time would also help the players as they aim to build on their understandings and combinations with each other.
That would be particularly helpful for the summer signings who are still settling in and finding their way in the Premier League. Of course, a handful of players will leave Thorp Arch on international duty this month, but progress can be made.
Cons
Brentford loss lingers
Despite the above benefits, a pause in the season means Marsch’s side could spend a long time licking their wounds and mulling over last Saturday’s 5-2 defeat at Brentford. The Whites were better than the scoreline suggests, but they were still second best in west London and that result will have dented confidence within the group.
It’s key that Marsch and his players take their lessons from that loss and move on without overthinking it and allowing it to linger over them while they train at Thorp Arch. Monday presented Leeds with the chance they needed to shrug that one off, but it ought to be long-forgotten by October, if that is their next outing.
Missed opportunity
Leeds will have seen Monday as a golden opportunity to get back to winning ways in the Premier League by capitalising on the situation at Forest. Steve Cooper’s side made 22 signings over the summer window and their results, particularly the home defeat to Bournemouth last time out, indicates they are still some way short of firing on all cylinders.
As such, the Whites will have felt they were getting Forest at a good time, before those new signings begin to gel and click into place at the City Ground. The fixture still needs rescheduling but the Whites probably won’t have the same luxury of facing a disjointed Reds side.
Fixture backlog
The footballing calendar is also congested with games to be squeezed in either side of the six-week break for the World Cup over November and December. UEFA competitions will dominate most midweeks, while slots are already pencilled in for the Carabao Cup and FA Cup.
As such, trying to find dates to play games that have been or could be postponed appears to be tricky. It seems the closest open window is in January, but even that may clash with FA Cup replays. It means the second half of the campaign is going to be hectic with Premier League outings coming thick and fast before the season reaches its climax in May.
This season was always going to be challenging, but it’s set to be even more demanding now.
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