Leeds United at Leicester City: Three Talking Points from the 3–1 Loss
A much changed Leeds XI put in a valiant effort but came unstuck against Premier League quality.
A 3–1 loss and an exit from the League Cup at the hands of a Premier League club: pretty much as I expected it to go. Leeds United put in a lot of effort in the early stages and deservedly took the lead, but our inability to hold that lead meant Leicester had the momentum and the quality to push on in the second half. In the end, they took the game beyond us.
The League Cup is often a chance for fringe players to push themselves into the starting XI in the league itself. These games can be wonderful tools in getting a rounded opinion on the squad as a whole. For that, this four-round run in 2017 was worthwhile, and now we can turn our focus back to where it should be: promotion out of the Championship.
Let’s discuss the three main talking points from Tuesday night’s match:
The equaliser ultimately lost us the game
In cup games, the first goal can be a major factor and, after the beautiful finish by Hernandez to open the scoring, I felt we were in a really good position to go on and win the game.
However, my feelings soon changed after Jansson and Wiedwald gifted Leicester and Iheanacho a chance to equalise. That goal meant we lost the underdog momentum that is the driving force that can see teams cause a cup upset.
I think the most frustrating thing is how easy the situation could have been avoided. Jansson should have dealt with the ball in the first instance: not clearing the ball led to the responsibility being passed to Wiedwald.
The young German keeper is clearly lacking confidence and is under intense scrutiny, but he was left exposed by his centre half. That does not fully excuse Wiedwald. He seems to lack the fundamental attributes of a goal keeper: He once again made the wrong decision in not taking man and ball, and he lacked the awareness to get back into position after we lost it, nowhere close to saving Iheanacho’s shot.
Premier League quality shined through in the second half
We played some good stuff in the first half, moved the ball well and saw some nice link up play between the front four. But as the game drew on, the difference in quality did start to change the landscape of the game.
Leicester allowed us much of the ball in the first half and challenged us to break them down. After the break, they turned up the heat and were able to drive at us with no real fight back as we had become tired.
We did make changes, but it’s hard to compete with top sides when they have the bit between their teeth and when they can become a stronger side with their changes, life become even more difficult.
Leicester made changes that included Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez. The League Cup is a perfect competition for Leicester to try and win. You could see from their team selection that they were focused on resting in the first half, and bringing on the quality to advance in the second.
Highlighted positions that will need strengthening in January
The main thing I will take from Tuesday night’s defeat are the areas we need strengthening in January. It feels like a long way away, but the January window will define where we end up in May.
In my opinion, we need to get new players in three key areas. The first is in goal: After letting Rob Green go, we are lacking. Wiedwald is clearly struggling, and I think his career at Leeds will not be as successful as we had hoped in July. Lonergan is a good backup keeper: I do not see him as a long-term solution in the Leeds goal.
A left back is another position we need sorting. The way we play our football means we need a left back who can defend but can also drive forward beyond the winger and add an attacking threat. We do not have that at present, and this is something that needs addressing.
The last position is up front. Grot showed me last night that he can become a good player, but he is simply not ready yet. He is young. His decision making and inability to use his strength effectively has made him look poor over the last few weeks. We need to have a striker who can replace Lasogga and score goals and, at the minute, that is not Grot.
Overall, I would like to see Leeds win but I would rather see us face Leicester in the Premier League. The League Cup run comes to an end, and now we can focus on what really matters.
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