Leeds United’s away record is what’s currently costing them a place in the Championship’s top two.
The weekend defeat at Blackburn Rovers was something that has been seen far too often under Daniel Farke as Leeds struggled to break down a side that took the lead early on.
Despite such a torrid start to last season, Leeds have actually accumulated the exact number of points as this time 12 months ago. However, they only find themselves closer to the top two because those around them haven’t run away with it like Leicester City and Ipswich Town.
Considering Leeds’ hope during the summer was for a much quicker start to the season, that statistic is a little disappointing.
Ultimately, it boils down to Leeds’ struggles on the road, having picked up nine less points away from Elland Road this term in the same number of matches.
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Leeds away record with vs without Ethan Ampadu
All in all, Leeds have coped pretty well with the absence of captain Ethan Ampadu, who has now been out of action for over two months.
Ao Tanaka and Joe Rothwell have formed an excellent partnership, but with Ampadu closing in on a return to training it shouldn’t be too long until he is back in contention.
There has been plenty of debate across social media about whether Ampadu will even get back in the side such has been the form of Tanaka and Rothwell. However, one statistic shows Farke has an easy decision when the time comes.
In the three away matches Leeds played with Ampadu in midfield before his injury, Farke’s side picked up seven points from a possible nine available.
Leeds beat both Sheffield Wednesday and Cardiff City 2-0, after drawing 0-0 at West Brom in their first away game. While the points tally is impressive, the fact they didn’t concede is even more so.
In contrast, Leeds have played six away matches since Ampadu’s injury and despite that being double the amount with him in the side, they have picked up less points (six).
The Whites have drawn three times at Norwich City, Sunderland and Bristol City, lost twice at Millwall and Blackburn, and won just once at Swansea City.
Even in the game Leeds did claim three points, they conceded three goals. That shows just how important Ampadu is to Farke’s clearly more reserved system away from home.
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What was Farke’s most recent update on Ampadu
Farke’s most recent update on Ampadu came ahead of the trip to Swansea City almost two weeks ago, where he revealed his club captain was in the ‘final stages of rehab’.
At the time, Farke was hopeful of a potential return to training this week and so it will be interesting to hear if that has been the case.
He said: “Final stages of rehab. Won’t train next week with the team. Maybe after that he can hopefully join us and be a big boost.”
Farke next speaks to the press later this week where he could have a positive update to bring on Ampadu.
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