OPINION
It was a brilliant weekend for Leeds, after a win against Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday evening saw them take one step closer to the Premier League. By the time Leeds kicked off they already knew that the other half of Sheffield had been held to a 1-1 draw with Millwall. With the three points secured, they now know they just need 10 points from their last four games to go up.
However, the win on Saturday wasn’t as easy as it should have been. Leeds absolutely dominated and didn’t score until the 66th minute, when Jack Harrison clipped in from close range. The stats show how one sided it was. Leeds enjoyed 61% of the possession, had 28 shots to eight, with six on target to Sheffield Wednesday’s two. True, Keiren Westwood in the Wednesday goal was heroic, but this has been the story of so much of this season for Leeds – converting dominance into goals.
Patrick Bamford had another off day. We don’t want to criticise too much because we like Bamford a lot, but he missed a glorious chance to score just before he was subbed off. And his replacement, 26-year-old Kemar Roofe, looked fresher and hungrier.
If we had to guess at the line-up for the Good Friday game against Wigan at Elland Road, we’d put our money on Marcelo Bielsa starting with an unchanged line-up. The Bielsa way is to change only when his hand is forced. But we’d like to see him rip up his rulebook and start Roofe back up top. He’s Leeds’ top scorer and he’s got his match fitness back after his time on the sidelines with injury.
Looking into more detailed stats, Roofe has recorded more shots and more goals than Bamford per-90 minutes. The shot stats are close but Roofe has done it over more than double the minutes that Bamford has. Bielsa – king of analysis – will know this and every edge is important at this stage of the season.
Another Leeds win will put them on the brink of a return to the Premier League, with Sheffield United facing Nottingham Forest on Friday in the early kick off. Any more slip-ups for them could be terminal. But Leeds need their best playing at their best, and we think that means Roofe up top and Bamford on the bench.