Walls are closing in
Rinse and repeat the points made after the Crystal Palace and Liverpool losses because Leeds United’s third consecutive defeat compounds an entirely unexpected disintegration in form. Again, cycle back to half-time in that Palace game and remember the quiet confidence inside Elland Road.
Leeds would see off Roy Hodgson’s side and be within three points of a total which all but guaranteed safety. Two-and-a-half matches later and the Whites are staring down the barrel of a stark relegation picture.
The most damning aspect of the Fulham defeat is the fear this insipid, lacklustre, error-prone, blunt, tired trend has become the norm. Palace could be written off as a freak, rabbit-in-the-headlights one-off, while Liverpool could be put down to the visitors’ expensively-assembled roster.
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Going into yesterday’s game, those thrashings could still be discounted as blips, but there would need to be a return to what we saw against Nottingham Forest or Wolverhampton Wanderers. There were no redeeming features, no escape clauses hanging over Saturday’s loss.
There was neither the Palace shock factor nor Liverpool’s riches to hide behind in the capital. Leeds knew full well how the script was starting to look as they rolled into town and they knew Fulham were beatable. And yet, they turned in a performance just as bad as the previous two. The first phase of Javi Gracia’s tenure, the 10 points from six games, is becoming a distant memory as this dross becomes the concerning norm.
The further away Forest feels, the clearer it’s becoming Leeds cannot stop this rot which has spread through the team since that Marc Guehi goal. Fulham could have been that game to stop the death spiral.
The external element in all of this, which Leeds cannot control is the performances of the teams around them. While the Whites sleepwalk towards the trapdoor, West Ham United, Leicester City, Everton and even Southampton are picking up points, competing and bridging that gap in quality with their opponents.
Nottingham Forest twice came from behind at Liverpool (Monday’s 6-1 victors at Elland Road), only to ultimately lose by one goal. The United faithful are crying out for evidence of the same fight and quality from their own side.
All roads lead to the double-header everyone has seen coming for the past few weeks. Beating a newly buoyant Leicester at Elland Road on Tuesday night is compulsory, not only for the points, but the psychology of keeping the league’s boot on the Foxes’ throats.
If the Whites don’t pick up six, or a minimum of four, points between now and Sunday night they are putting their faith in others faltering to save their skin. How are your nerves?
A bad day for Gracia
When you consider Gracia had overseen five defeats in his nine games going into yesterday, his stock had proven quite resilient in the theatre of public opinion. Despite the evident deficiencies in some of his players, Gracia’s actual tactical plans were proving sound and bridging the gap a lot of the time.
The patient approach against Southampton, using more width, losing to two world-class goals at Fulham, the solitary set-piece concession at Chelsea, that restrained press against Brighton & Hove Albion and then the excellent three halves against Forest and Palace. Ten points from six games was keep-him-in-the-summer form.
The questions about his choices began to multiply against Palace and Liverpool, but Saturday was the Spaniard’s worst day on the touchline since taking over. The baffling reluctance to use arguably the club’s best attacker, after declaring him 100 per cent fit and firing, is beginning to look like some misplaced stubbornness until he provides a firm reason for why Wilfried Gnonto starts for Italy and not the top flight’s fifth-worst team.
In some positions, like midfield or right-back, it would be fair to say Gracia’s hands are tied on how much chopping and changing he can do with out-of-form options. That is not the case in the front four, though.
Brenden Aaronson continues to toil without finding an impact in the final third while the likes of Gnonto or even Georginio Rutter sit on the bench twiddling their thumbs. The problems surfaced in-game too. While Leeds had kept their heads above water and got in level at the break yesterday, it felt like a matter of time before Fulham scored. And yet there were zero material changes to the team going into the second half.
In the age of five substitutions, there is more than enough scope and flexibility for rolling the dice as early as half-time. As it was, the match followed the same pattern as the first half and Fulham’s inevitable opener landed. Changes would come another seven minutes after the goal. Gnonto would not emerge until 10 minutes before the end of regulation time.
Orta feels the heat as 49ers watch on
Victor Orta’s been able to watch Leeds in peace for the past two months, but he was brought to the fore again yesterday. The away-day die-hards, the beating heart of United’s fan base, called for the director of football’s head for the first time since that Goodison Park horror show in February.
The recent developments around Jean-Kevin Augustin have, of course, not helped Orta’s stock, but when Leeds have declined the way they have since the start of last season, fingers are always going to point at those steering the ship.
Orta was watching the game from Fulham’s famous cottage in the corner alongside chief executive Angus Kinnear and Jed York, San Francisco 49ers’ chief executive officer. The takeover remains the elephant in the room through this horrendous flirtation with relegation.
A penny for the thoughts of what the investors under that 49ers arm are making of this second successive scrap for top-flight status. There is no doubt York had a front-row seat for where the support stands yesterday.
Time for Forshaw?
It may have been suggested with some doubt after the Liverpool loss, but the case for Adam Forshaw starting on Tuesday is almost overwhelming. Marc Roca and Weston McKennie look shot to bits as a concept.
The former lost possession 20 times at Craven Cottage, won one of his nine duels, made four fouls, won one tackle in the entire game and had zero interceptions. Forshaw, an 80th-minute introduction, won as many duels and as many tackles as Roca did in the whole game.
In 80 minutes, McKennie’s pass accuracy was barely over 61 per cent, he lost possession 10 times and completed just 12 of his 20 passes from midfield. The American is providing neither defensive steel nor attacking guile. There isn’t even the engine of a box-to-box midfielder there to drive the team up and down the field. Gracia has to consider his position for Tuesday night.
Silver linings
If you wanted to finish on a couple of small positives they lie in defence. Liam Cooper ended a 12-match exile from the starting line-up, while Max Wober returned after four matches on the sidelines. They were leaders and organisers in the backline. They made big tackles and important blocks throughout the afternoon. If you want something to feel good about, if they can stay fit Leeds have a much better chance of keeping clean sheets.
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