Leeds United need new plan as January transfer struggles and youngster could come into view

The Whites are currently without a permanent manager, two weeks after sacking Jesse Marsch, and sit second bottom of the Premier League ahead of a clash with 20th-placed Southampton. Although the Whites’ search for Marsch’s replacement has been ongoing, it was decided last week that Michael Skubala would lead the team for the Everton and Saints fixtures and, potentially, the rest of the season. Defeat at Goodison, the manner of it and the fan reaction, could well prompt a rethink but whoever takes charge this weekend and beyond needs a new plan for what Leeds do with the ball.

At Everton on Saturday Skubala felt his side were strong off the ball, a statement best be described as debatable given the way Sean Dyche's midfield wrestled control at various stages. It wasn't for want of possession in good areas or crossing opportunities that the Toffees failed to make the scoreline more comfortable, all that was lacking was a little more care and quality in the final third.

"I thought without the ball we were strong and stood up, I think we needed to be better with the ball and that's the thing we need to work on quite a bit if we're going to start creating more chances," said the caretaker after the 1-0 defeat.

No one would argue with his second point. Leeds need victories to climb out of and stay out of the drop zone and it's not immediately obvious, looking at the results so far and the fixtures to come, from whence those wins will come. To stand any chance, though, Leeds are going to have to go beyond the tweaks that Skubala spoke about when he first took on the job with next to no time to prepare for Manchester United away.

It clearly wasn't his plan for the side to give the ball away so carelessly and frequently at Goodison, but unlike at Old Trafford or at Elland Road when Manchester United's strength and quality made it unlikely for Leeds to boss possession throughout, this was an opposition you need to get at. And if Leeds are to deservedly stay in the division come May, then they'll have to prove that control has not eluded them for an entire season.

Against the Red Devils, a midfield of Weston McKennie and Tyler Adams made sense because the duo bring physicality and energy to a game and Skubala felt the pair dealt well with Manchester United's trio in the middle at Elland Road. Doing well without the ball against good teams hasn’t been a huge problem for Leeds this season.

But against Everton, with Marc Roca still not available, a ball-playing midfielder was sorely missed. That's not to suggest Adams is strictly limited to ratting around getting a foot in - he has shown an ability to break lines with his passing in his first Premier League campaign - but he hasn't displayed the same progressive passing range as the Spaniard who partnered him so much under Marsch.

And with Skubala deprived of Roca again at Everton, it was evident that McKennie is unable to provide that solution. He's a runner, an able athlete who gets around the pitch, charges up and down to support attacks - as he did with a nice move to get down the touchline towards the byline on the right before his cut-back for Bamford was intercepted - or try and thwart them. He competes in the air. He tackles. His passing, though, is perhaps best kept to the simple and short range.

There were occasions on Saturday when he received the ball with time and space and opted for a switch that fell behind the winger - Willy Gnonto twice had to check his run, move back to collect the pass and then attempt to go forward again. On one of those occasions Jack Harrison made a clever run centrally and when he was ignored he failed to hide his frustration.

When he received the ball under pressure he was unable to shift it quickly enough or protect it from Abdoulaye Doucouré, who stripped it from him in a dangerous area.

Later in the game McKennie shaped to take a pass in the centre circle, came to the attention of Alex Iwobi and left his attempted touch to Robin Koch short enough that the defender had to leap in to keep the Everton man from going in on goal.

No one had a good game in possession against Dyche's men, it must be said, but the issues McKennie experienced have cropped up previously in his short time with Leeds. At home to Manchester United he took up a good position to help progress an attack, got on the ball with no one close to him and with Crysencio Summerville threatening to break in on goal, sent the pass behind the winger.

Luke Ayling was criticised for vacating space immediately prior to Alejandro Garnacho 's goal, but it was McKennie who got caught in possession, necessitating the full-back's attempted but unsuccessful tackle and relinquishing of his position.

This isn't a hit piece on the new guy and nor is it a call for him to be dropped, it's merely a suggestion that he has been tasked with or has assumed responsibility that doesn't rest well on his shoulders, with his profile. He might have been signed in the wake of Mateusz Klich's exit but McKennie is not the same kind of player. The pass before the final pass might not be beyond him, it just hasn't been evident in his game so far.

So if Roca fails to recover from his injury in time to face Southampton, particularly if ball-playing centre-back Max Wober is out with his shoulder problem, Skubala needs a rethink in the middle in order to give Leeds a better chance of retaining the ball and progressing it effectively into the final third.

Perhaps this is the time for the Under 21s manager and Leeds United to put their trust in Darko Gyabi, or at the very least try him. After all, we're very much in experimental territory here with a caretaker leading the club into massive top flight games, the likes of which have not previously appeared on his CV. The phrase 'if it ain't broke' hardly applies, not when Leeds in possession haven't had it together since the Bielsa days. Not when they resorted to playing for seconds at times under Marsch. The nice back-to-front, inside-to-outside-and-back-again moves seen during the Spanish training camp rarely made an appearance in games. It is broke, isn't it? It needs a fix.

Relegation battles have proven a difficult proving ground for youngsters so often but would Gyabi be such a shot in the dark? A player who always wants the ball and can receive it in even the tightest of spaces, the teenager has shown a terrific eye for a pass with the 21s and an ability to ride challenges. He turns with the ball so comfortably that he can open up the pitch. A different type to Adams and McKennie, he could be a foil for the American duo and the creative one in a midfield three.

He's young of course, just turned 19, but do you ever really know a player is ready, until you try them? Is he any more raw or unproven in midfield at this level than Georginio Rutter is up front?

In Gyabi's late cameo against Manchester City he twice had the chance to find wide players and even if the passes were simple, they were into the runs of Gnonto and Ayling respectively. At Cardiff City he caused problems early on, he wanted the ball, even pushing Junior Firpo off it to take control in one instance, and he passed it forward, to feet.

Even if it's not Gyabi and even if Skubala sticks with a two in midfield, something has to change. Much will depend on player availability. The manager can only work with what he finds on the Thorp Arch training pitch. Ayling having to play centre-back would cost Leeds in terms of ball progression because Rasmus Kristensen has looked limited, by comparison, with the ball at his feet. Had he a fully fit squad, making big changes would be a big and daunting job - Marsch bemoaned players reverting to Bielsa tactics for months after his arrival.

However the caretaker plans to deal with the ball, Leeds have got to be so much better at taking care of it.