Patience approach should pay off for Leeds United striker Lasogga says Christiansen
THOMAS CHRISTIANSEN gave his backing to Pierre-Michel Lasogga and said the striker needed more patient service from other players around him after a frustrating outing against Sheffield United on Friday.
Lasogga is set to lead the line again for Leeds United in tonight’s clash with Derby County as Christiansen persists with system which took the club to the top of the Championship last month.
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United’s head coach is fighting to arrest a run of five defeats from seven games and restore consistency to results which have wavered badly since Leeds opened their season with a seven-match unbeaten run.
Lasogga, who moved to Elland Road on loan from Hamburg in August, has scored four times in eight appearances and is averaging close to four shots a game, the highest rate in the Championship, but the German came in for criticism after struggling to make an impression on Sheffield United’s defence.
An eventful Yorkshire derby at Elland Road ended in a 2-1 defeat as Leeds produced just two efforts on target.
Christiansen, however, said a lack of patience in his side’s build-up play had given Lasogga too little to feed on.
“I’m concerned that we didn’t manage to control the ball,” United’s head coach said. “We lost it too easily.
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“We want to arrive too early up front. That makes you lose the ball, it makes you run more and make more transitions in defence, and it makes you more tired. It makes the team open.
“We have good very good players in the midfield who can make passes but we also have players who can keep the ball and move it from one side to the other. That was from my point of view what we missed.
“When we arrive (at the opposition’s box) we have players with quality but we went from defence to attack in four seconds instead of measuring the game.”
Derby come to Elland Road on the back of three straight wins and sit just one point behind fifth-placed Leeds in seventh.