Leeds

Leeds United: reflection and looking forward – back 5

Last season’s football for Leeds United was one of frustration for the fans. What started as ‘heavy metal’ promise soon petered out into ‘glam rock’ production, bringing an end to Uwe Rosler’s reign at Elland Road.

It took the much disliked appointment of Steve Evans to bring some sort of stability and cohesion to the side. Evans not only lost a lot of weight during his tenure at Elland Road, but he won ove ra large section of his detractors too. However, not even the fact he became the longest-serving manager under Massimo Cellino was enough to save him.

Evans felt the blade of Cellino’s cull as Garry Monk was brought in to become the seventh manager to pull on the monogrammed training kit since Cellino bought a majority share in the club from Bahraini investment venture GFH Capital.

Here’s the first of a planned series of three articles looking back at Leeds United unit-by-unit last season, and then looking forward at the new players brought in and what they’ll add to the team. First up, the back five.

Goalkeeper: Marco Silvestri – inconsistency reigns supreme

Italian keeper Silvestri played 45/46 games for Leeds last season, the only game that he missed was due to the sending off against Rotherham after Giuseppe Bellusci’s mad attempt at an overhead kicked clearance. A talented shot-stopper, there have long been concerns about other areas of his game such as his command of the area and ability to come through a crowd and claim the ball.

Per typical 90 minute production 2015/16

  • Saves: 3.2 per 90
  • Conceded: 1.2 goals per 90
  • Claimed balls: 2.75 per 90
  • Punched balls: 0.80 per 90

Looking forward

It seems that Marco Silvestri is persona non grata at Elland Road, having been sent back from the club’s pre-season training camp in Ireland to train with the Development Squad. Highly-regarded youngster Bailey Peacock-Farrell has been given a new contract and Ross Turnbull has been kept on at the club. The Whites have also brought in veteran stopper and ex-England keeper Rob Green on a free after his release by QPR.

Full backs: Charlie Taylor, Gaetano Berardi, Scott Wootton – no real problems at the corners (apart from Wootton)

When Taylor (39 appearances) and Berardi (25 appearances) were anchoring the corners of the Leeds United back line, fans weren’t concerned. Even when Under-21 captain Lewie Coyle came in, still no real apprehension. Factor in Scott Wootton and the alarms start ringing in the heads of Leeds fans – there was often vitriol aplenty followed my much teeth-gnashing and head shaking.

Per typical 90 minute production 2015/16 (Coyle not included – only 292 minutes as a right-back)

  • Tackles (per 90): Taylor 2 successful from 2.4, Berardi 1.9 successful from 2.6, Wootton 1.4 successful from 1.7
  • Interceptions (per 90): Taylor 2.9, Berardi 2.6, Wootton 1.8
  • Clearances (per 90): Taylor 2.3, Berardi 1.3, Wootton 1.6
  • Blocks (per 90): Taylor 2.6, Berardi 2.2, Wootton 1.6
  • Defensive Actions (per 90): Taylor (9.8), Berardi (8), Wootton (6.4)
  • Passing (per 90): Taylor 30.4 accurate from 40.8, Berardi 30.1 accurate from 41.3, Wootton 27.2 accurate from 40

Looking forward

There hasn’t been any significant change in this position, apart from the conjecture around when/if/whether Charlie Taylor is leaving the club and who is likely to get him. Wootton has, of course, been let go and given the opportunity to find a new club. But with Taylor and Berardi anchoring the corners of the Leeds United defensive line, fans will be assured that there is consistency in that area of defence.

Centre-backs: Liam Cooper, Sol Bamba and Giuseppe Bellusci – creak, creak and snap

Imagine finding yourself stood astride two convergent tectonic plates the moment an earthquake strikes, and you are wondering which one would be the most stable to trust standing on. Welcome to the wonderful world of Leeds United’s central defensive unit. At times, Leeds were solid in the centre of defence, things looked good. Other times though, it was defending out of the Chuckle Brother’s book of Defending with the usual procedure being ‘to me, to you, to him, to goal‘. Copping the flak for most of this was Giuseppe Bellusci, with the wrath of fans turned on him. Stand-out moments of mad-cap defending for the side included the defeats to Middlesbrough (away), Brighton (away) and Huddersfield (home).

Per typical 90 minute production 2015/16

  • Tackles (per 90): Bellusci 2.7 successful from 3.4, Cooper 1.3 succeessful from 1.9, Bamba 2.6 successful from 3.3
  • Interceptions (per 90): Bellusci 3.4, Cooper 3.2, Bamba 3.6
  • Clearances (per 90): Bellusci 4.9, Cooper 3.8, Bamba 5.9
  • Blocks (per 90): Bellusci 2, Cooper 1, Bamba 1.4
  • Defensive Actions (per 90): Bellusci 13, Cooper 10.3, Bamba 14.5
  • Headed Duels (per 90): Bellusci 1.8 successful from 3.1, Cooper 4 successful from 5.7, Bamba 3.9 successful from 5.8
  • Passing (per 90): Bellusci 28.3 accurate from 40.5, Cooper 32.5 accurate from 44.9, Bamba 28.9 accurate from 36.6

Looking forward

Bellusci has been farmed out on loan to Serie A side Empoli for the season, so some indecision is removed from the side in that respect. Leeds fans have been crying out for some solidity in the back line and Leeds head coach Garry Monk has signed up Kyle Bartley from his old club Swansea on a season-long loan. Bartley is definitely what you would call ‘a unit’, he is a physically-imposing specimen that hopefully will add that solidity to the middle of the back line as the Whites push for that consistency that has been lacking of late.

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