Leeds United manager sets performance target after individual errors cost first defeat of season

The Whites fell to their first defeat of the season on Sunday, losing 2-0 away at Division One North leaders Barnsley.

An early flurry of pressure from United’s Yorkshire rivals was enough to decide the fixture as goals by Emily Pierrepont and Courteney Csomor left Passmoor’s side with a two-goal deficit to overcome by the 11th minute of the match.

With plenty of time left to come back into the game, the visitors pushed for a goal but, though attackers Abbie Brown and Laura Bartrup came close, the Whites found no reply and dropped to sixth in the table.

Passmoor, who took over as manager this summer, says his players must work on reducing individual errors and developing a cutting edge in the final third.

“I think when you look at it, particularly in possession, we owned a lot of the game with the ball, but without being productive,” Passmoor told LUTV.

“However, that was after that first 15-20 minutes when individually we were making mistakes, wrong decisions, bad errors. You need to be able to work as a group and as a team, ensuring initially, the players do their jobs well, but in the first half, that wasn't the case so therefore we were 2-0 down, and really at 2-0 down you shouldn't come back into the game.

“We probed but we didn't have any end product. I'm pleased with the way that we coped in possession and played through the thirds up until the final third. We've got to work in and around that because if you look at it, we have limited success in that area.

“But firstly, every individual needs to assess what they want, and how they're going to achieve it – because then we can build on it, we can build on our coaching philosophy. We want to be working hard out of possession - we know all that – but we also want to be building the attack. We can't do that if, as an individual, you're not at the races. And it took them until the second half to actually then start playing our scheme of work. But by then you're 2-0 down, you're up against it.

"It's a massive learning curve, but the girls have now got an opportunity to correct themselves.”

On Wednesday evening, Leeds will host eighth-placed Stockport County at their home ground at Tadcaster Albion FC.

Passmoor insists that managing emotion is vital to putting the Reds’ defeat behind them.

“You don't have to dwell on it too long. You've got training, you've got a game on Wednesday, we've got another game of the weekend, so we've got two big games coming ahead,” Passmoor said.

“All of a sudden this frustration can change very quickly in the game. So it's about keeping your emotions level, whether you win last week against Hull or this week. But what we've got to make sure is the range isn't so great – from the highs of last week to sometimes today, of disappointment – we've got to make sure that each individual performs at six or seven out of 10 and I'm sure with that we then can build on it we can gain results.”

Leeds United will kick off against Stockport County at 7.45pm on Wednesday 31 August. Home games are played the So-Trak Stadium, on Ings Lane in Tadcaster, LS24 9AY.