Former Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard has put Leeds United's struggles down to a combination of poor defending and lack of plan B. The Whites slipped into the relegation zone for the first time this season at the weekend following a disappointing 3-2 home defeat to Fulham.
Leeds have now not won any of their last eight matches and the pressure is continuing to build on manager Jesse Marsch after such a poor run. Marsch's side had shown promise during the early stages of the campaign but are again looking shaky at the back, which has cost them in recent weeks.
Speaking on ' The 2 Robbies Podcast ', Howard claimed that Leeds' 'sloppy defending' is down to the 'bad habits' learned under the previous regime, but admits Marsch must find some sort of plan B in order to stop losing so many points from winning positions.
READ MORE: Leeds United news as Jesse Marsch set to be in charge for Liverpool trip
He said: “I believe that, Elland Road as we know is an amazing place to play when things are good. But when things are tough they are going to let you know about it so there is pressure. We talked about when you don’t win football matches over a sustained period of time, pressure is naturally going to mount.
"We know Leeds are a good side, we know they like to press the ball, they like to do all the things that make the game pretty. They try to hurry teams up and they’ve got good results from that. Often what we saw is they take the lead, they’re in the game, they have opportunities but just like with Conte and Spurs, sometimes there needs to be a bit of a plan B.
"From my experience in the Premier League, sometimes you have to shut up shop. You just have to say, ‘we have this here, we’ve done the hard part now let’s defend as a unit.’ I look at that third goal that Willian scored, it comes from a throw in, it’s sloppy defending, they’re doubling down on a throw in. Mitrovic is in the corner of the box, that just needs to be one player. There’s a nutmeg there, there’s a player dangling a leg out.
“It’s that [confidence] but it’s also, you know bad habits are learned. This Leeds team learned a lot of bad habits defensively under Bielsa. Jesse Marsch doesn’t want to play that particular way but he’s still dealing with players who learned bad habits, particularly defensively.”
READ NEXT
- Leeds United supporters told they hold key to Jesse Marsch's future after Graeme Souness claim
- Leeds United supporters deliver verdict on whether board are right to keep faith in Jesse Marsch
- Jesse Marsch plots Leeds United's route out of trouble and delivers supporter message
- 'Not a happy club right now' - National media verdict on Leeds United's defeat to Fulham
- What Angus Kinnear told Leeds United supporters outside Elland Road about Jesse Marsch's future
