Alan Shearer is right, Leeds United need to show their nasty side against Aston Villa

Add as preferred source on Google

Alan Shearer has delivered some valuable advice to Daniel Farke and his Leeds United side as they prepare for their meeting with Aston Villa.

Daniel Farke has the luxury of a fully-fit Leeds squad to choose from as he looks to end his side’s recent poor run of form.

Leeds have struggled in their recent away games, as Jon Newsome labelled them toothless in attack in the defeat against Nottingham Forest.

However, more concerning for Farke is the manner in which his side has conceded goals, with Anton Stach and his fellow Leeds midfielders receiving criticism for being too easily overrun.

Now, former Premier League striker Alan Shearer has hit the nail on the head with his advice to Farke’s side on how to arrest their alarming slide down the table.

Alan Shearer delivers advice to Leeds United in Aston Villa prediction

Although Leeds fans will not like Shearer’s prediction for the game, as he forecast a Villa win, he was spot on with his advice to Farke’s side.

According to Shearer, Leeds need to rediscover their nasty side and make the game as difficult as possible for the visitors, as they look to defend a proud recent record at Elland Road.

Speaking to Metro, Shearer said: “Leeds aren’t scoring many goals. I know they’re at home with the crowd roaring them on, but I think it’ll be a long, hard season for them.

“I’ve not seen anything to suggest it won’t be. Aston Villa will have too much, particularly in forward areas, so I’ll go for an away win. 

“Leeds can’t afford a battering. The one thing you don’t need is a team coming to your ground and beating you up.

“Leeds just have to show fight on their own turf, that says ‘we know we may go down, but if we do, we’ll go down with a fight.’ 

Leeds United can lean into historic ‘Dirty Leeds’ tag

The great Leeds teams of the past were never known as nice teams to play, with the legendary side under Don Revie labelled “Dirty Leeds” in the 1960s and 1970s.

Whilst the label was unfair at times, the Elland Road crowd loves nothing more than a blood and thunder contest, in which their side competes for every ball with aggression and passion.

The FotMob stats from the season show Leeds have left some of this aggression behind. Although Leeds have completed the fifth most tackles per match in the top flight, with 17.8, they average the 15th most tackles per match with 10.

This translates to the joint-16th most yellow cards in total, with 16, as Farke’s side has erred on the side of caution with their play.

While no one wants to see football return to violent play of the past, there is some scope for Farke’s side to be more aggressive. If they can get under Villa’s skin this weekend, it will work wonders in getting the crowd behind them in an important game.