“The target I set is between 10th to 14th position. If we’re lucky, we are close to 10th or more. If we aren’t lucky, we are 15th. But I think we are in that range. I don’t want to have any more heart-attack risk.
“I don’t have any doubt that we’ll avoid a situation similar to last season. It’s impossible.”
Those were the words of Leeds United owner Andrea Radrizzani in an interview with The Athletic as he outlined his hopes for the current campaign back in August. After surviving by the narrowest of margins last season - a win at Brentford on the final day combined with Burnley losing at home to Newcastle - Whites' supporters had hoped for a better campaign.
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However, heavy back-to-back defeats leaves Leeds a point worse off than this stage last season, with seven games left to play. Sure, the Whites have a two point gap to the relegation zone but with a torrid run of games on the horizon, they need every point they can muster between now and the end of the season.
A 5-1 defeat to Crystal Palace was a bitter pill to swallow given how well they started the game, but to concede that many goals on home soil, alarm bells started to ring. The 6-1 defeat to Liverpool on Monday night - with Diogo Jota, who hadn't scored for Liverpool since last April, notching a brace - meant it was the first time in Leeds' history they'd conceded six goals in a top flight match al Elland Road.
The month of April, to put it bluntly, has been calamitous. Javi Gracia's side have conceded 16 goals this month which is eight more than any other side and one more than they shipped January, February and March combined - conceding 15 goals in an 11 gamed in that time period.
The Whites know they need a dramatic turnaround in the final seven games of the season, but the writing looks as though it's already on the wall. Leeds have conceded the most goals in the Premier League with 60 from 31 games - with the team who has conceded the most goals in the last four seasons ended up being relegated to the Championship.
They rank 18th in the division for expected goals against with a rating of 52.6, but that still places them among the bottom three worst sides in the division.
Leeds have conceded the most goals from open play having let in 47 goals and have the worst clean sheet record in the division with five - just one under Gracia since he arrived at Elland Road. There have been some signs that Leeds' defensive shape was improving under their new head coach, but conceding 11 goals in just two games will do nothing for confidence.
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