Everyone knows the script. Leeds United have made nine signings this summer and counting, and eight of those are above 6ft. Leeds have been desperate to bring in some physicality and height.
Only Gabriel Gudmundsson is below 6ft of the nine players that have been signed and yet, he stands at 5ft 11, still tall for a full-back. Physicality and aerial prowess have been added to the tune of £98.5m.
Yet, Saturday evening saw Arsenal smash Leeds, 5-0. Two goals from set-pieces as the likes of Joe Rodon, Pascal Struijk, Anton Stach and Leeds’ other big starting players failed to deal with Arsenal’s prowess.
Arsenal rarely got out of second gear as Leeds lost hope after conceding the first goal, a header from Jurrien Timber in the first half. Bukayo Saka killed any hopes of getting back into the game for Leeds.
Hasselbaink identifies a bit of a concern for Daniel Farke’s Leeds
Former Leeds striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink was on punditry duty for Premier League Productions alongside Arsenal legend Ian Wright, and Hasselbaink discussed Leeds’ defending from set-pieces.
To concede from two set-pieces, albeit against an Arsenal side who are renowned for their physicality and quality from dead-ball situations, will have come as a frustration for Farke and Hasselbaink had his say.
“It was always going to be a difficult match. This is not the kind of match where they would have hoped to pick up points. There is a way of losing. They [Arsenal] are strong at set-pieces, don’t give them away.
“You have brought people in to get better at defending set-pieces, but it is still an issue. Daniel Farke says it is not a defining moment, true, but you still have to be competitive in these matches,” Hasselbaink said.
“You want to be competitive, they were only competitive until the set-piece, then all the plans went away and that was a pity,” the former Leeds man continued when discussing his old side’s defending yesterday.
Premier League set-piece nightmare nothing new for Leeds fans
Promotion to the Premier League ahead of 2020-21 saw Leeds concede 15, a division-high. The same a year later with a whopping 10 conceded as Jesse Marsch managed to keep Leeds up on the final day.
Another 11 were conceded during 2022-23 as Leeds were relegated. A total of 45 over the course of three seasons. With two already conceded, Farke and Leeds have got to stop what feels like a top-flight curse.
Arsenal are excellent at set-pieces and have been over the last couple of seasons under Mikel Arteta. But that is not an excuse. Leeds need to go a few games without a set-piece goal or it will become a theme.
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