Leeds United’s chances of promotion now depend on their ability to win two one-off games in the semi-finals and final, after missing out on automatic promotion owing to a collapse since March.
Leeds’ third-place finish in the table thrilled Daniel Farke as he prepared for the playoffs, reflecting on the club’s resurgence from the difficult summer following relegation.
However, anyone who has seen Leeds will have concluded that they squandered their chances of automatic promotion due to poor form since the March international break.
Don Goodman explains why Leeds failed to secure automatic promotion over Ipswich Town.
Don Goodman, a Sky Sports commentator, has revealed his opinion on why Leeds are in the playoffs this season, potentially just two games away from promotion.
He points out that Leeds’ form plummeted during the March international break, with their once-rock-solid back four becoming much more vulnerable.
Speaking with Football League World, he stated:
“The international break completely wrecked Leeds United’s season. It’s that simple.
“They need to reset and start over. I’ve never seen four teams heading into the playoffs be so out of shape. I believe that is what makes this year’s playoffs so difficult to predict.
“Leeds traveled to Vicarage Road to face Watford after keeping 10 clean sheets in 13 games, but the international break halted their momentum. For some of their players, this was their third game in six days. They switched Ethan Ampadu from defence to midfield out of necessity that night, and Watford wore them down.
“The noticeable difference after then is that they began to concede goals. They surrendered 15 goals in the season’s final eight games. They had only conceded three goals in their previous 13 games. How could this be explained? How does this happen?
“The only consolation for Leeds is that the other three teams are also struggling with their form. Eight teams scored more points than the play-off teams in the season’s final eight games.
“It’s exciting for the neutral as the last five Championship play-off winners had all enjoyed really good spells of form going into them.”
Leeds fans must agree with Don Goodman on this one.
It is unusual for Leeds fans to listen to or read Goodman’s remark and nod in complete agreement, but he is correct.
Leeds were unstoppable moving into the March international break, scoring comfortably and conceding no significant chances from open play, with no open play goals conceded between New Year’s Day and the Watford game.
Then, all of a sudden, the life was sucked out of this Leeds team due to a variety of factors, including injuries to players returning from duty, Georgi Rutter having surgery, changing the setup against Watford, as Goodman points out, and simply a momentum-sapping wait between the Millwall win and the Watford draw.
Two victories out of eight in that stretch is unacceptable, even if you suffer a drop, and the concern is that it will impact our chances of making the playoffs, even if we defeat Norwich on Thursday.
When we look back on Marcelo Bielsa’s first season, the game against Wigan at home is when everyone believes it all fell apart, and if we don’t make the playoffs this season, that international break will undoubtedly be the turning point.
