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PETER LORIMER: Numbers just don't add up
When it comes to the strength of Leeds United's squad, I am undoubtedly on the side of the fence where further signings look essential.
It is not a lack of talent that concerns me but rather a lack of depth, something which makes the club prone to injury and suspension.
Simon Grayson must be aware of that after a pre-season in which he has constantly lacked a full compliment of players.
Luck is not shining on Leeds in terms of fitness, though I wish I could attribute Robert Snodgrass' serious-looking knee injury to a stroke of unavoidable misfortune. On the contrary, it was the result of a needless and irresponsible tackle that had no place at all in a pre-season friendly.
As I understand it, the team fielded by SK Brann against Leeds on Tuesday night was heavily loaded with players who hope to earn contracts in Bergen next month and were therefore anxious to impress. Fair enough, you might say, but that is no excuse for some of the aggression I witnessed, of which David Nielsen's challenge on Snodgrass was easily the worst offence.
In a competitive fixture it would have been worthy of a straight red card and I'm sure I wasn't the only person cursing the Danish striker as Snodgrass was carried from the pitch on a stretcher.
The extent of his knee injury will become clear soon enough but it would be criminal if Leeds lost one of their most influential players to a tackle that was frankly inexcusable.
If I was asked to pick out my stars of United's pre-season so far, Snodgrass would be one of them. There is only so much you can read into pre-season games but there are signs of him regaining the form and influence that he showed when he first came to the club as an unknown quantity.
Between him and Lloyd Sam, Leeds have players on either side of the field who seem capable of creating chances at will. They caused a pleasing amount of havoc in Hartlepool and Bergen, and the quick start that Leeds must make to the Championship season may be heavily dependent on the form of their major attacking outlet.
With the possible exception of Luciano Becchio, few have looked more dangerous than Snodgrass or Sam and if Snodgrass' injury does sideline him for the early weeks of the Championship season, his loss will be keenly felt. Leeds would suffer not only through the absence of his individual talent but also because of his role in a formation which has caught the eye of many this summer.
Anyone who has followed Simon Grayson's time as manager know that, more often than not, he uses a 4-4-2 system. It’s a set-up he’s comfortable with and one he trusts – and why not when his first full season in charge ended with automatic promotion from League One?
But he has acknowledged many times that United will need more flexibility in the Championship, and an unexpected effect of his lengthy injury list is that it has allowed him to gauge the success with which his squad can slip into a formation that uses five midfielders and a lone striker.
Those tactics are not for all stadiums or all weathers, and I can’t imagine them working particularly well at Elland Road. As we’ve seen many times in the past, the default setting of clubs who come to Leeds is to adopt conservative tactics and concentrate first on avoiding defeat. It’s always the way.
That may change in the Championship, where the average level of ambition will surely be higher than it was in League One, but Leeds could stumble quickly into stalemate if they attempt to use one man up front in their own back yard. The onus at home will be on them, and rightly so.
But away from Elland Road, a 4-5-1 or 4-3-3 formation (depending on your point of view) has the potential to be extremely effective. On the evidence of Hartlepool and Brann, I’d be surprised if Simon has not already decided that it could work well for him over the next nine or 10 months. With the likes of Snodgrass and Sam in this sort of form, Leeds ought to be dangerous.
I had the pleasure of taking in the club’s two most recent friendlies, both of which were far easier on the eye than the 4-0 loss to Bury. I was never fooled into thinking that the result at Gigg Lane was a fair reflection on the squad’s potential but it did ask questions that needed to be answered. As much as pre-season scorelines are unimportant, they tend to matter more when you’re shipping four goals to a side made up of numerous youngsters and quite a few trialists.
The past week has been better – a hundred times better, in fact. But by no means is this Leeds team the finished article and I can’t imagine that Simon will see them as such. From the noises he is making, it is clear that the club’s recruitment is far from finished and additions in several areas of his squad would be welcome.
The crucial element for me is a strong spine running through the team. If you enter the Championship with that, you won’t go far wrong. There aren’t likely to be many truly outstanding sides in the division next season but the standard of competition will be high, and I’m struggling to single out a straightforward game. In truth, Derby County at home is not the worst of starts.
Against Wolverhampton Wanderers tomorrow we’ll gain a clear idea of how ready Leeds are. From what I’ve seen this week I don’t think they’re far off. That feeling of anticipation is growing again and there’s no fear in my mind that this squad are swimming out of their depth.
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Weather for Leeds
Thursday 24 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 26 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
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Temperature: 10 C to 23 C
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