Leeds United fans saw plenty of Tyler Adams and Marc Roca on Saturday during the Whites’ 5-2 loss to Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium. Jesse Marsch’s side boasted 68.9 per cent of possession in west London and a chunk of it came through the midfield pairing.
Adams recorded a season high of 107 touches in the game against the Bees, more than Brentford’s midfield three combined and certainly more than any other player in a Leeds shirt. Roca, on the other hand, touched the ball on 75 occasions, which is somewhat higher than his previous average of 57.
The pair were key men on the day, but despite their dominance of the ball, they couldn’t make the impact needed to prevent Leeds being well-beaten by Thomas Frank’s side. That wasn’t through a lack of trying, though.
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Adams managed to produce four key passes on the day, another season high, attempting to play through the lines and feed the likes of Brenden Aaronson, Joe Gelhardt and Patrick Bamford. Roca, on the other hand, had six shots, which is five more than his previous high when it comes to efforts on goal, and he managed to open his account for the club with a second half effort, of course.
However, their heavy involvement on the ball and in attacking areas was almost certainly by design. There is the possibility that Jesse Marsch has asked to see more from his middle men in possession and in the attacking third of the field, urging them to pull the strings and make Leeds tick.
Brentford, though, were also more than happy to sit back, put men behind the ball and put pressure on Leeds to break them down, before countering with pace and precision when they won the ball back. That meant Adams and Roca were the two who saw the ball most and they were the players being forced to stretch play and make things happen, while Brentford kept Leeds’ attacking threats largely under wraps.
In fact, Saturday was not the first time Leeds have struggled to find a way through teams that are happy to play without the lion’s share of possession. In a slightly different manner, Everton allowed Leeds 69.1 per cent of the ball and kept compact defensively to claim a point at Elland Road on Tuesday night.
Leeds created a number of chances against the Toffees, but not enough to prevent being held by a side that seemed to take pride in frustrating their hosts and making life difficult for them. The Whites’ first defeat came against Brighton and Hove Albion in August and once more, Leeds saw the majority of possession.
Marsch’s side left the Amex with a 1-0 defeat having seen 57.2 per cent of the ball. Leeds have lost the battle for possession just two times this season and on both occasions they have picked up maximum points, against Wolves and Chelsea, with eye-catching performances.
It seems if Leeds are to kick on this year, they must find a way to be more effective when in possession or to turn the tables and allow their counter-pressing and intensity do the talking during games.
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