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Leeds allowed much less shots than Burnley – their defense deserves more loans

Leeds allowed much less shots than Burnley – their defense deserves more loans

“We talked about several areas (we want to improve). In general, we had the best defense in the league to GameDay 40 and, unfortunately, in the last six matches we gave it back. This is one of our claims, we want to be the best defense in the league next season. “

Daniel Flaske could not be clearer while speaking last summer Leeds United He missed the automatic promotion.

We now have almost two -thirds of the road through the second Freke campaign. Leeds are two points on the top of the table and they lost only 19 goals. Only the third place Burnleywho attracted Leeds 0-0 on Monday, confessed to the smaller nine out of 29 matches.

After driving the data to the championships to return to 2004-05, Athletic I found it ReadingPage 2005-06 had another best record after 29 matches, with 15 goals. This reading team still has record -breaking division points in total 106.

Over the past 20 years, there are only five teams that have lost fewer goals than Leeds after 29 matches. In 480 teams that challenged championship campaigns since 2004-05, Leeds has the eighth best defense record at this stage of the season.

However, goals never tell the whole story. A lot was made of how predictable, in retrospect, this week in Turf Moor was to be a non -provident draw; The two best defense of the division stand at the highest conditions, knowing that the draw was not a terrible result for any of them.

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Burnley was rightly praised for the 20th Clean Campaign Sheet. Lancashire outfit, especially the goalkeeper James TraffordThey deserve praise for such statistics, but did they leave their lives once in their life to reach 17 clean sheets?

The expected allowed goals of Burnley (XGA) are 24.3 this season. United’s has 19.2, the lowest result in the division. In terms of Layman, Leeds allows his opponents less opportunities or opportunities than lower quality than Burnley and “should” lose five goals less than Burnley.

However, while Leeds operate according to XG, Burnley is very convinced. “They should” lost 15 more goals than they have, but they just keep these chances, which is usually unbalanced.

In the table below, the defensive data from this season has been divided into statistics in the game. Leeds are consistent, which amount to 0.59 goals (XG) per match, while Burnley admits 0.79 XG per match. Then you can see the discrepancy between the expected goals and the actual goals given in the third column. Leeds achieve action almost as he would expect, while Burnley maintains 0.48 more goals than expected for the match.

In addition to XG, the game shots also suggest that Leeds actually had the best defense in the division. The Flash team has allowed 6.3 effort to match so far, while Burnley is the second of 9.3. This means that Leeds allows three fewer shots for his purpose, a match than Burnley. And, of course, the fewer shots you allow your opponent, the less a chance to shoot.

So all the data indicate that Leeds has a better defense, except for keeping the ball away from the net and, in fact, Burnley has done a better job so far.

However, Leeds improved under Fluke. At this stage of last season, Leeds lost 26 goals. They awarded seven less this season. How?

The key cogs were the middle defenders and rotating rotary turnover at the front. Joe Rodon He emphasized why he was such an important purchase at the age of 10 million pounds last summer. As a right -old central defender, he was particularly important in covering Jayden Bogle After his raids down the right flank.

On Monday evening there was a good example. Bogle risked Upfield, Burnley turned the ball and quickly moved the ball to Zian Flemming for a counterattack. In the photo below, you can see how Rodon has already moved to the right, embracing Bogle to deal with the winger Lyle Foster.

Foster gets between Rodon and Ethan Ampadu When Flemming releases the ball. It’s a race. Not once this season, Rodon showed an unexpected turn of pace. It pulls him out of trouble.

If the foster reaches the first one, he is with one on one Illan Meslier. Rodon not only defeats the winger, but slows down, protects the ball, attracts pushing, and then buys a free kick to alleviate all Burnley’s pressure. Pace, positioning, mastering, making decisions and waiting for show.

One of the main reasons why Leeds admits so few shots is that they stop opposition attacks in their own half.

Below, against Sheffield United In October, visitors try to clean their lines and build a counterattack from their 6 -foot 6 -foot (196 cm) striker Kieffer Moore. Pascal StrugijkRodon’s long -term partner in the center, which has recently been lost, presses well in the middle of the exit.

Struijk not only wins the air duel, but gets safely Joe Rothwell. Leeds can build another own attack directly in the last third. Moore, grounded, can only complain to the judge for a foul.

There is another unforgettable example from this season Leeds, who turned the ball in the last third. When the amphad, unfortunately, hurt the side knee ligament Coventry City In September it was caused by the crunchy equipment he made.

Influential helper Ben Sheaf After the attack, he received the ball from his own third of Leeds from the form. Ampadu, playing as one of two helpers in Free 4-2-3-1, can see the danger and does not hesitate to close Sheaf.

It is a full -blooded, but pure amphade equipment. This ability to cope, wait and aggression all over the pitch was crucial for this defensive unit.

The power of the challenge puts Leeds immediately into another attack.

Brenden Aaronson collects, Mateo Joseph It makes him run away, and his final low cross will not find a teammate from seven yards. The aforementioned Ampadu injury along with Ilia GruevIt meant that Farke had to call Ao Tanaka and Rothwell as auxiliary organs in the middle of the third season.

Each of them showed an excellent pass, vision and technique in united attacks, but especially in the case of Tanaki, dirty defensive work was also a pleasure. The example below was in Swansea City in November. Josh Tymon Several Leeds players passed before he enters halfway away at speed.

If Tymon has passed Tanaka, Swansea Have the advantage of five V-Trzech, and Strugijk must then exit the rear line to stop his left hand.

Tymon did not pass Tanaka. Not for the first time Tanaka makes perfect, solid equipment to stop Tymon in his tracks. It became one of the trademarks of Tanaka.

His reading of the game was unique and stands out as one of the Leeds players that you would not have much doubt about Premier League. Here, his equipment turned the defense into an attack with right overload for Leeds.

The way he entered, to cover the amphade or the way the amphate entered the stream, was crucial to maintain this team so closed when the opponent has a rare course. Leeds raised 62 percent of possession this season, which is another key reason why their opponents have so little opportunity to get shots.

“It is my opinion that the attack is the best defense, and the more you have the ball, if you do not score your own goals, the more difficult the opponent is,” said Farke on Thursday. “If you just lose the ball in the middle of the opponent, the road to your own goal is much longer. If you are able to control the meters, you can be quite good in defense. “

Perhaps reaching a summer goal Farke is still possible to reach 17 games. If only they had another chance to break Burnley’s goals against the column.

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(Best photo: Joe Rodon against Burnley; author: Matt McNulty by Getty Images)