Leeds United vs. Burton Albion: Three Talking Points from the 5–0 win
Leeds railroaded over Burton to climb to second in the league and remain unbeaten in all competitions.
The performance yesterday was the best and most dominating Leeds display I can remember in a generation. The team’s ability to completely neutralise the whole Burton team is an indication of how much they have gone to next level this season. I love the fact that, for the first time in a long time, we can be optimistic and the team has the quality to support our optimism.
It is still early in the season, but the positives keep coming and Saturday’s game was another in a long line so far this season.
So, as we sit pretty in second in the table, here are the three main talking points from the game:
Dream debut for the new number 9
After the departure of Chris Wood, we all wanted a proven Championship striker to replace him. When we signed Pierre-Michel Lasogga, I was not personally 100% about the signing. This was mostly due to my lack of knowledge of German football and comments circulating on social media.
However, once again, the club dealings have shown that I should not have worried. Saturday, Lasogga had a wonderful start to life at Elland Road: he took his goals well, but more importantly his link up play and movement on and off the ball was superb.
It was his first game for the club, but the signs look very good in terms of all his involvement in the games. Chris Wood proved his goal scoring credibility last season, but I always felt that he did not get involved in the games in a creative sense. Lasogga did that on Saturday and it seemed to fit the Thomas Christiansen philosophy. Going forward, I think he could become the ideal replacement… but only time will tell.
Goals throughout the team
The biggest fear when Chris Wood departed was the lack of goals. However, this season we have seen that fear dismissed as we have seen 21 goals from 10 different players this season.
In my opinion, the reason we are seeing more goals from players throughout the team is once again down to the influence of Thomas Christiansen. His influence and knowledge of the need for constant movement on and off the ball has meant we see the attacking midfielders get beyond the striker into the box and getting shots on goal.
This is another change from last season, which just adds to the strength of the team. Goal difference is an important factor for teams and can be a major difference at the end of the season.
Dominate in every area
Throughout the season so far we have had the pleasure of watching this Leeds side get better and better every game. From the Sunderland game to the Forest game and through Saturday, the team keep surprising me with their level of quality.
The Burton game could have been a tricky affair: we all expected Burton to come and defend and Leeds to struggle to break them down. Burton did come to defend, but Leeds just ripped them apart. The way Leeds went about their business shows where the club now sits in the league.
The midfield is always a key battle in these games. Against Preston we were unable to take charge in the midfield, and that cost us the victory. Yesterday, the improvement in those few weeks meant that we completely bossed that key area.
It is a strange feeling to see Leeds beating a team, the points are a given, and the game is more about adding the goal difference. Like I said earlier, I can not remember a Leeds performance where we were so dominant - long may it continue.
Overall, Saturday’s game made everybody throughout English football notice and accept that Leeds United will be a real threat this season… but more importantly, it gave the fans further optimism and togetherness as the club drives forward in every sense.
We now move on to Birmingham and hopefully another dominating display.
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