Leeds United's defensive record has been nothing short of atrocious in 2021/22.
Against Liverpool, the goals continued to flow into Illan Meslier's net as the Whites went in 3-0 down at half-time. There were two Mo Salah penalties but in between those two strikes there was a very concerning goal from Joel Matip.
It was concerning because it came in a manner Leeds have given away big chances and goals ever since returning to the Premier League: the centre back stepped past the forward press and through the Leeds midfield to the edge of the box. He then played a one-two with Mohammed Salah before sweeping the ball into the net.
Bruno Fernandes' goal for Manchester United at the weekend came in a similar fashion, as Victor Lindelof played a one-two on the halfway line to lose his marker, before carrying the ball to the edge of the box, where he spread it wide for Jadon Sancho to cross and Fernandes to head in.
Leeds also conceded a goal similar to this when they faced Liverpool at Elland Road earlier this season, as Matip carried it to the edge of the box before passing to Trent Alexander Arnold, who laid on the opening goal for Salah.
These kinds of goals are repeatable because of the defensive system that Marcelo Bielsa favours. Leeds have utilised a man-marking system ever since the Argentine arrived at Elland Road. In Bielsa's system, this means every player has a designated marker which they follow wherever that player goes.
The exemptions to this are the striker, who splits the opposition centre backs and allows Leeds to leave a centre back as a spare man. This is why Leeds change formations based on how many strikers their opponent plays, as there must always be a spare man at the back.
However, in the Premier League, an increasing amount of teams have exploited this system as there are notable weaknesses. Firstly, it requires every player to win their individual duels. When the opponent matches up, as Frank Lampard's Everton did in their recent 3-0 win, Leeds can be overwhelmed as their is no defensive structure to cover for players being beaten all over the pitch.
Should the opponent not match up, they can break Leeds' system by doing precisely what Matip and Lindelof did. That being, carrying the ball past the striker and running into the space. This forces Leeds players to step across to block, subsequently leaving their own marking assignment free to receive a pass. If Leeds don't adjust, then a situation develops where the centre back can carry it all the way to the edge of the box. Leeds are then at panic stations to defend as they are overloaded at the back.
As well as the problem with centre backs carrying the ball out, the system can also be exposed by opposition attackers taking their markers where they don't want to go, leaving gaps for their teammates to run into.
An example of this is Jacob Ramsey's first goal in the 3-3 draw with Aston Villa earlier this month. Phillipe Coutinho was playing on the left wing, being marked by Leeds' right back Luke Ayling. The Brazilian ran into the centre circle to receive a pass, taking Ayling with him. As soon as he received the ball, Ramsey sprinted into the space left behind by Ayling and Coutinho turned and played a through ball for Ramsey to run onto and score.
This was a move straight off the training ground and a similar kind of thing was seen in last season's game at Old Trafford, where Bruno Fernandes pulled Kalvin Phillips out of position, leaving central space for Scott McTominay to drive into.
When Leeds were struggling with conceding a high number of goals last season, Bielsa shifted Stuart Dallas into midfield and gave him more of a zonal defensive responsibility, instead of a man-marking one, in a tactical tweak away from man-marking that Bielsa has rarely made over his career.
This season, the Argentine has not wavered from man-marking, despite the goals pouring in. For some reason he has not tried the zonal midfielder again, but some kind of tweak away from the current system seems to be necessary. Leeds cannot continue conceding goals at the rate they are currently or they will be in severe danger. It's now down to their manager to come up with a solution.
