Gary Lineker's Championship play-off warning that will worry Leeds United fans
Leeds United have been pulled right back into the Championship promotion race following Sunday’s defeat at Portsmouth.
Gary Lineker has hinted he might be worried for the team who finishes third in the Championship this season, with it ‘so often’ being the case they fall short in the play-offs.
Leeds United suffered that exact fate last year, with a miserable end to the regular campaign preceding play-off heartbreak at Wembley. Daniel Farke’s side racked up 90 points but it was only good enough for third, and despite going into the final full of confidence after beating Norwich City 4-0, they froze at Wembley and were beaten 1-0 by Southampton.
The Whites looked set to pull away from similar tension after beating Sunderland and Sheffield United but have since taken one point from six on offer, with Sunday’s 1-0 defeat at Portsmouth leaving them just two points clear of Burnley in third. The optimist would point to Leeds still being top and having a better fixture run on paper, but missing out on the top two could spell disaster if familiar play-off issues return.
Lineker’s play-off warning
“One of them [Leeds, Sheffield United or Burnley] has to go in the play-offs, it's going to be two from three,” Lineker told The Rest Is Football. “It's so tight, and you know what happens in the play-offs, it's so often the team in third that misses out. We’ll see what happens.”
Promotion is by no means out of reach in West Yorkshire, with Leeds still top by virtue of their vastly superior goal difference, while many would argue they have a preferable run-in. Sheffield United and Burnley still have to play each other and both have current top-six teams on the horizon, while Farke’s side only have two current top-10 outfits to face - Middlesbrough and Bristol City.
But there will be a feeling of opportunities being missed among fans as Leeds followed up big wins over direct promotion rivals with two underwhelming performances. And Micah Richards believes the players will be ‘kicking themselves’ after seeing a five-point gap on Sheffield United cut to nothing in the space of two games.
Richards on Leeds
“Leeds have been on an amazing run,” former Manchester City and Aston Villa defender Richards added. “They won against Watford, I think it was 4-0, then they beat Sunderland and went to Sheffield United and beat them 3-1 late, late on. Then you're thinking ‘can they back it up?’
“They had West Brom at home, they drew that game. Then they go to Portsmouth and they lose, and there were so many chances in the game. I mean, they’ll be kicking themselves now because when you watch them this season, in terms of their squad and who they can introduce off the bench, their style of football…
“Dan James has been outstanding this season. They've got [Ao] Tanaka in midfield, really good. I know all the players, I know the Burnley players and obviously Leeds is local so I know all their players. I just really want to see them in the Premier League.”