Leeds United will know they cannot make the same mistakes as last season if they want to be successful in the Premier League. The Whites secured survival by the skin of their teeth on the final day as they defeated Brentford 2-1 to move ahead of Burnley, who were beaten by Newcastle United.
It was a season of struggles throughout for Leeds, as their 5-1 opening day defeat at Manchester United was perhaps a sign of things to come. Injuries to key players such as Patrick Bamford, Kalvin Phillips and Liam Cooper were arguably the biggest reason behind Leeds’ struggles, though they hardly helped themselves with some of the on and off the field decisions.
So with that in mind, here are three mistakes Leeds cannot afford to make next season, as they look to push on and improve.
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No square pegs in round holes
Probably one of the biggest factors as to why Leeds struggled so much on the field was the insistence of playing players out of position. Sometimes it was necessary, but on other occasions there were more natural replacements sat on the bench.
Daniel James made the majority of his appearances for Leeds filling in for Patrick Bamford down the middle, when clearly he is far more effective out wide. Robin Koch also played several games as a central midfielder, which given his previous experience is fine from time to time, but not over a consistent spell of matches.
Squad depth – five subs
The previous point leads us on well to this one. In order to avoid playing square pegs in round holes, it is important to have a squad with depth. Leeds frequently filled a bench with players who had very little first team experience last season and although there is a great deal of talent among the youth ranks at Elland Road, it is important to strike a balance.
Starting from next season, clubs will now be able to use five substitutes in matches, which means the bench is likely to be more important than ever before. That makes it paramount that the players coming onto the field are as good as the ones they are replacing.
Gelhardt game time
It took until the final two games of the season for Joe Gelhardt to be handed a run of starts, which given Bamford’s injury issues and his consistent impacts from the bench, was criminal. As aforementioned, James was often the preferred replacement in the number nine position in Bamford’s absence.
But Gelhardt proved time and time again that he has all the necessary attributes to lead the line in the Premier League, as well as providing a sprinkling of star quality. Even if a new striker is signed this summer, the 20-year-old must be a huge part of the squad going forward.
