No need for alarm and Leeds United have the personnel to solve set piece woes - David Prutton

It was something that Marcelo Bielsa alluded to after the game and something that will be worked on to the absolute nth degree.

There is no lack of effort, endeavour, commitment or guts within the Leeds side but at the moment there is an inability to finish teams off or take chances which is a very Leeds thing that we have seen over the past couple of seasons.

But I don’t think we can get carried away either way with what we have seen so far and Friday’s defeat has just really reaffirmed to everyone involved that it’s going to be an absolute fight.

Before the season started, we heard different people talk about different aspirations and aims for the club.

But I still think that anywhere above the bottom three is an absolute triumph for Leeds and apologies if anyone reads this and thinks it sounds a little bit defeatist and I rather hope that it falls into the camp of realism.

I understand the history and the heritage and I absolutely understand how big the football club has been.

It has the potential to be so again in modern day football and footballing relevance.

But Leeds have been out of the top division for so long that they have got to make sure that they stay there and that’s the first port of call.

I’ve got no doubts that they are going to be three teams poorer than Leeds.

I think Leeds are going to be better than at least a third of the teams in the Premier League over the course of the season.

If they are ensconced in that middle third of the Premier League then that would be absolutely fantastic.

If it goes down to the wire then as long as they are in the chat for next season then that is absolutely the first port of call. It’s absolutely cup final upon cup final to get there by the time May comes around.

With regards to solving the set piece woes, you get people in to take responsibility and if you are not picking a player up you get people in to communicate and make sure that everyone is doing their jobs.

That’s the good thing about having a team ethic and a team with 11 players. People are good at different things and that is the very nature of what a team sport is.

Whether your job is organisation or communication or something as traightforward as running and heading the ball when it comes into the box and being brave doing it, that’s what you have got to do.

For all of the wonderful waxing of lyrics that have been used about Leeds at their very best, fundamentals will win you football matches and keep you in games.

Keeping the opposition out from set pieces and being better with your own set pieces are part and parcel of the very fabric of a football team.

Doing it right, that’s what it’s all about, picking up players, challenging players, marking players in a proper way and making sure that there are no free headers or attempts to get chances on goal which leave your goalkeeper exposed.

Illan Meslier could have done better with West Ham’s equalising goal that went in but he balanced that up with some tremendous saves.

It’s the very focus of being a goalkeeper that there is a lot of focus on that particular position.

From what we have seen from Leeds and how they go about winning football matches, there is so much to be positive about and so much to be very very happy about as a Leeds fan but obviously there is so much more to be cautiously aware of too.

Unless Leeds bring someone else in then they are going to have to sort the set pieces issue out with the players they have available. That’s the only way it is.

When you are in this position a you need to be able to grind out results and organise and pick up and assert yourself again and I absolutely think Leeds have got the personal to do that.

The club brought players in to have an effect and there has been varying degrees of success with that but as a collective I think they are good enough to stay in the Premier League.

Wednesday’s clash against Newcastle United is nnext and that is a huge game, as is every single game that they will come up against.

We have seen Leeds against sides such as the likes of Crystal Palace where you are thinking it will be a certain thing and then they get well turned over in that game.

There’s a fine line between being cautious about the opposition and overly worried about them.

I don’t think they can be overly worried about Newcastle but they have got to make sure they enter each and every game with the respect that these opponents deserve.

You can look at what Steve Bruce is doing with Newcastle and facing difficult circumstances at the weekend but coming through it with a 2-1 win against West Brom.

They are another team which has got huge aspirations of being a big big Premier League football club but would also look at being safe as soon as possible as being that first port of call.

https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/sport/football/leeds-united/steve-bruce-provides-update-depleted-newcastle-united-squad-ahead-leeds-united-clash-3066500

https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/sport/football/leeds-united/toon-visit-provides-opportunity-ease-concern-among-whites-fans-3066496

https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/sport/football/leeds-united/yorkshire-evening-post-launch-leeds-united-only-digital-subscription-ahead-premier-league-campaign-2967964

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Thank you Laura Collins