Arsenal icon highlights possible Elland Road issue in Leeds United Championship promotion push
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Former defender Martin Keown believes away-day wins could be the key to Leeds United’s promotion push with teams likely to up their game for an Elland Road occasion.
Leeds suffered their first defeat of the season on Saturday with Luca Koleosho scoring the only goal of a 1-0 Burnley win, capitalising on Manor Solomon’s slip to hand his side a first-half lead. Daniel Farke’s side dominated from that point on but, particularly after the break, struggled to create anything of note against a resolute defensive side.
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Hide AdThose inside Elland Road have often seen visitors put in some of their best performances of the season at Leeds, with the chance to enjoy a scalp injecting fresh energy into away teams. Despite spending the majority of his career at Arsenal, Keown experienced promotion pressures with a club of similar stature in Aston Villa, and the former defender believes wins on the road can prove decisive.
“I am just thinking back to my career when I was at Villa,” Keown told talkSPORT. “We got relegated. We could hardly win a game at home. Villa Park, fantastic venue, everyone rocks up.
“It’s like a Wembley situation, everyone saves their best performance away. We were magnificent, winning 13 away games. That’s what Leeds have got to do, win away from home and find a way to win at home.”
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Hide AdRecent history would suggest Leeds have done more than find a way to win at home, with Farke’s side not losing at Elland Road until mid-April last season, but some tough challenges are on the horizon with Coventry City, Sheffield United and Watford next up in LS11. A trip to Cardiff City comes this weekend and so the chance to fulfil Keown’s demand will present itself.
Leeds will hope to build on a strong early showing on the road, taking four points from West Brom and Sheffield Wednesday without conceding. Farke’s men were still among the top away performers last season but experienced a definite drop compared to being at home, with eight of their 10 regular-season defeats coming outside of West Yorkshire.
Cardiff sit rock bottom of the Championship as things stand, with just one point from their opening five games. Manager Erol Bulut is under early pressure with multiple reports speculating over his future, with suggestions he may not last until this weekend if decisive action is taken by those in charge at the Cardiff City Stadium.