A senior Leeds journalist has claimed that Thomas Christiansen needs to mix up his Leeds team in the face of a very poor run of form.
After a brilliant start to the season that saw them top the Championship, Leeds have now lost four out of five games, including two games in September where they haven’t scored a goal.
Writing in his column in the Yorkshire Evening Post, Phil Hay talked about “the disconnect which is developing between the lines in Thomas Christiansen’s team.
“In well over an hour on the pitch, [Pierre-Michel] Lasogga laid a foot or a head on the ball 12 times, one touch every six-and-a-half minutes.
“There is, no doubt, frustration over a rapid loss of form but there are shades, too, of players who know the current strategy – temporarily or otherwise – isn’t working for them.”
Hay highlighted one big issue from the Reading game, with Pablo Hernandez – playing as a false 11 – “congesting the zone behind Lasogga.”
“Christiansen is yet to show his hand beyond 4-2-3-1, even away at a venue like Millwall where Leeds always need blood, sweat and the strongest line of defence they can find.
“The question for Christiansen, however, is whether poor results led to a breakdown in his system or whether a breakdown in his system led to poor results.
“Every pony in the Championship needs a few tricks. This is a time for Christiansen to show the range of his.”
OPINION
Thomas Christiansen’s 4-2-3-1 worked at the start of the season but it’s clear that he needs to do something different now, starting with the tricky away game against Bristol City on Saturday. Pontus Jansson – normally Leeds’ most reliable player, went public this week to admit that his form has been poor, but it’s not just an isolated problem. Christiansen must now prove that he’s got the versatility to adapt to the unique challenge of the Championship and get his team’s promotion push back on track before it’s too late.