üLast season was a season of two halves for Leeds United, a season that could be roughly hewn into the Christiansen and Heckingbottom eras.
It was also a season that started off well, before rollercoasting through ups and downs before Christmas – the Whites seeing none of the former before Thomas Christiansen was sacked in early February.
Leeds enticed Paul Heckingbottom away from Barnsley, the former Tykes boss given the task of arresting Leeds’ embarrassing slide of fortunes. It wasn’t to be, Heckingbottom seeing his side steer themselves to a lowly 13th placed finish.
With Chris Wood sold early in the season, Leeds United were on the lookout for a replacement. With fans looking to the media for news, it was to German striker Pierre-Michel Lasogga that the Whites turned to, bringing him in from SV Hamburg.
Early signs looked good, Lasogga scoring twice on his début at Elland Road as Leeds turned Burton Albion inside out and upside down with a 5-0 thrashing. That was the high point of his time at Elland Road in the eyes of some fans, well apart from a video urging the “fat ****” to get in the box before he unleashed a 20-yard thunderbolt to score.
Over the course of his time at Elland Road, Lasogga scored 10 goals and did show glimpses of the class that pushed him to the fringes of the German national side. However, the very same fans also saw his immobility and frustrating lack of effort at times.
Whilst some were sad to see him return to Germany, sensing there was promise in his boots, others were more than glad to see the back of him – many likely offering to drive him to the airport.
Now back in Germany, it is safe to say that Lasogga is on fire and back amongst the goals.
Pierre ⚽#nurderHSV pic.twitter.com/lQKjDfD55m
— HSV English (@HSV_English) September 15, 2018
Michel ⚽#nurderHSV pic.twitter.com/ivAWeLiDQV
— HSV English (@HSV_English) September 15, 2018
Lasogga ⚽#nurderHSV pic.twitter.com/z0nMatvfll
— HSV English (@HSV_English) September 15, 2018
That hat-trick today for Lasogga, all three coming in the space of just eight minutes, turned the game around for Hamburg SV who were trailing 1-0 against FC Heidenheim. Lasogga’s 70th minute opener brought the sides level before a second (81′) and third (83′) took the game away from the home side who dragged one back at the death.
Those three goals make it five goals in four 2.Bundesliga games for Lasogga, even more remarkable in that he only played for 45 minutes of today’s game. Added to his 60-second brace against TuS Erndetbrück in the DFB-POKAL cup competition and it’s fair to say that he’s back on the scoring track.
Whilst he may not have been suited at Leeds United, and whilst he certainly didn’t meet with wholesome approval, there’s one thing that Leeds United can take credit for – his return to form. He was woefully out of form when he signed on loan for Leeds United last season. Fair enough, he didn’t really set the Sky Bet Championship alight but it did spark him enough to send him back to Germany, and relegated Hamburg, with a point to prove.
It’s a point that he is beginning to prove with vengeance.
