Two-goal collapse
Had you asked Leeds United fans what they would have taken from the trip to Southampton on Friday, you would suspect a large proportion would have been happy with a point. As it is, context is everything and you will struggle to find many feeling Saturday was any better than a defeat.
The Whites were two goals to the good and cruising. The natives were restless, the away end was predicting Ralph Hasenhuttl’s demise and the players looked bereft of any ideas.
Jesse Marsch was celebrating corners like they were goals, his under-fire record signing had knocked in a brace and they were cantering to a 100 per cent start to the campaign. Until they weren’t.
READ MORE: Marsch's subtle Bamford ploy, touchline note and Leeds United moments missed
The hosts threw caution to the wind and as they grew in confidence, Leeds seemed to be sapped of whatever energy they had left. While the substitutions came to the rescue seven days ago, Marsch hesitated this time and waited too long to refresh his side.
The starting XI plus Daniel James had started well, put credit in the bank and it was understandable why Marsch wanted to give them as much time as possible to turn it all around. However, this was left to lie for too long.
Adam Forshaw’s experience and calm was needed far sooner than the 88th minute. Mateusz Klich’s running was praised only one week ago by Marsch, but his energy was confined to the bench until the 84th minute.
Even Sam Greenwood, still only 20, has shown his high level in the midfield pivot. His energy and counter-pressing would have worked nicely with Forshaw in the centre.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing and had Leeds lost with the substitutes made earlier, Marsch would have been criticised for fixing something that wasn’t broken. Southampton were breaking it though and the shift in momentum needed fresh blood and fresh legs to stem the tide.
Injuries and the striker question
It took less than roughly two hours of the new season for Daniel James to be playing as United’s striker again. After all of the pre-season hopes and assurances about Patrick Bamford and Joe Gelhardt’s reliability in the frontline, they were both on the sidelines within half an hour of the second match of the season.
As it is, Marsch’s post-match prognosis for both of the forwards suggested each should be back in training next week. Time will tell how accurate those estimations are, but it’s a timely reminder, before the transfer window closes, of just how fragile this squad’s frontline can be.
The head coach has not shied away from the journey Bamford is on and the time it will take to regain the conditioning he had as a Premier League regular. While there can be faith he will reach that level again, Leeds have to really consider whether they want to take that risk with their pool of forwards and not add to it before the window closes on September 1.
Rodrigo’s renaissance?
Talking of strikers, how about the one which cost Leeds more than any other in their history? Whatever you make of his open-play contributions, Rodrigo has the confidence of seven goals in four outings under his belt.
Pascal Struijk may have had a wry word with the Spain international after the match about his goal-line theft, but the team will know every strike is feeding Rodrigo’s ego and they need him with a spring in his step in the frontline. Right now, he’s got the goal-scoring knack back and while Bamford and Gelhardt are out, Rodrigo’s shouldering the burden.
Marsch was waxing lyrical about the forward post-match. He said: “The goals are one thing, but for me, even more so the quality at which he's playing, the clarity, the tactical awareness, the discipline, the work rate.
“He's putting new full performances together. Again, I could go through each one of the guys right now and say, there's still so much more they can continue to develop into, so that's a good feeling.
“We sense in our group we have positive momentum and a good thing going, but we can't be complacent, and in some ways maybe that's what this is, it's a little bit more for us to know, as good as it's been in the early stages we have a lot more to do.”
Leeds need a confident Rodrigo and with the World Cup looming, he has more than one reason to keep pushing the envelope in United white.
Taking stock
As Marsch would go on to say in his post-match press conference, taking the emotion (and context) out of Saturday’s draw does leave a promising picture. Four points from two matches is no bad return for a club which survived relegation on the final day of last season.
Neither Wolverhampton Wanderers nor Southampton looked like sides who can hope for much better than lower mid-table, but points are points and they were hard to come by last season. If this is a starting point and Leeds are only going to get better, as Marsch hopes, then the optimism should survive Saturday’s circumstances.
Last season, Leeds would not reach four points until their win over Watford on October 2, the seventh match of the campaign.
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