Kyle Newbould: I watched Leeds United's 0-0 draw vs Brentford - here are my 3 key conclusions
Key takeaways as Leeds United took another Premier League point at home to Brentford on Saturday.
Leeds United were made to settle for a point following their 0-0 draw at home to Brentford on Saturday. A poor game never seriously threatened to burst into life, with neither side creating any clear-cut chances in an attritional 90 minutes at Elland Road.
Daniel Farke’s side were clearly conscious of Brentford’s counter-attacking threat and defended it well, maintaining control and forcing their visitors into long, often inaccurate passes. But they were unable to offer much of an improvement going forward.
A late flurry of Leeds pressure came to nothing despite the best efforts of those on the pitch, with a draw pulling them four points clear of the relegation zone. Below are three of the YEP’s key takeaways from the night.
Leeds United have a goals issue
It felt like Saturday’s game could have gone on for several days without a goal being scored and while credit must go to both defences, rarely were they properly tested. Leeds swung plenty of crosses into the box and had a few set-pieces but at no point did they carve out a clear opportunity for someone like Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
They’ve now failed to score in four consecutive Premier League games for the first time this season, a period in which they’ve had 56 shots but created a total Expected Goals of just 4.3, according to Sky Sports. Post-match, Farke preferred to focus on three straight clean sheets in all competitions but the problems going forward are clear.
There are caveats, of course. At Crystal Palace, they missed a penalty and played an entire second-half with 10 men, while against Sunderland they should have had an early spot-kick. But Leeds were at their best this season when taking it to their opposition. It feels like a while since that’s happened.
Left side struggles
Another caveat to the lack of recent goals is absences. Against Brentford, Farke was without both of his key left-hand side players at kick-off, with Gabriel Gudmundsson suspended and Noah Okafor fit enough only for the bench, coming on midway through the second half.
Their absences were felt against Brentford, with Leeds struggling to create any real momentum down that side. James Justin, impressive as he’s been all season across several positions, could not get round his man in the same way Gudmundsson does so regularly while the Lukas Nmecha at left-wing experiment simply isn’t bearing fruit.
And with Leeds only seriously threatening down their right, it made them more predictable and Brentford had few issues defending. The good news? Gudmundsson’s one-game ban is now served and Okafor returned from injury with a spell off the bench.
Time to breathe
Whites fans will be watching nervously tomorrow as Nottingham Forest host Tottenham and West Ham go to Aston Villa, but from around 4pm there will be a chance to take stock. It’s the March international break after this weekend and then Farke’s side have an FA Cup quarter-final trip to the London Stadium to look forward to.
Leeds don’t actually play again in the Premier League for just over three weeks, their next game a Monday night trip to Manchester United on April 13. That should at least allow someone like Okafor - freshly back from injury and with no international commitments - to build sharpness ahead of the run-in.
Once Leeds do return at Old Trafford next month, it’s all hands on deck for a relentlessly stressful final eight games of the season. Going into this break with a victory would have been incredible, while going in after defeat would have been a nightmare. In reality, it’s somewhere in the middle.