Leeds United need to start creating and scoring more chances in the Premier League despite their four-point start, and Dominic Calvert-Lewin has plenty of pressure already to shoulder that burden.
Premier League football returns this weekend after the first of four international breaks this season, and for Leeds, it’s a trip down to London to take on Marco Silva’s winless Fulham.
The Cottagers represent another tough test for United, despite sitting a point below Leeds heading into this Craven Cottage clash on Saturday afternoon.
Most Read on LeedsAllOver
Daniel Farke insists goals will come for Leeds United strikeforce after Dominic Calvert-Lewin cameos
Two clean sheets from three league games is an encouraging start from a defensive perspective, but Leeds find themselves struggling for regular sights of goal, scoring once so far from the penalty spot against Everton.
A lot of pressure is therefore, above all, on Dominic Calvert-Lewin to be the crucial new addition that can fire the Whites to survival come May.
Dan Burn’s last-ditch challenge scuppered Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s opportunity for a home debut goal at Leeds United. (REUTERS/Jaimi Joy)
After the stalemate with Newcastle United, Daniel Farke spoke about his three senior options, in which he has ultimate faith the chances and goals will come very soon.
“It’s not like you can play them off the park. You have to sometimes chip the ball into a physical player who can keep the ball and give us more time to move up. This is why we were so desperate to bring physical strikers in,” Farke told the press post-match.
“I thought Lukas (Nmecha) was excellent for 70 minutes and Dominic was pretty dangerous. The goals will come.”
Dominic Calvert-Lewin fitness boost outlined as Leeds United look for instant impact
Two weeks between Leeds’ home draw with Newcastle and their trip down to Fulham allows time for key players to recharge for the next wave of Premier League fixtures, while there will be hope that some return to top speed after recent setbacks.
Perhaps most importantly, a fortnight away from the action will be just what Calvert-Lewin needs to get much closer to 100% speed at Leeds.
As Farke has already alluded to, the England international arrived at Elland Road having been a free agent throughout pre-season, meaning he needed much more time to integrate properly compared to someone like Noah Okafor, who joined off the back of a strong run of outings for AC Milan.
He looked incredibly sharp and carried himself with confidence against Newcastle, trying his luck from 35 yards with one of his first touches of the ball, and with more time under his belt at Thorp Arch, we could be set to see him much more involved at Craven Cottage, alongside Lukas Nmecha’s impressive endeavours against the towering Magpies back five.
Time is of the essence for Leeds after three games of limited chance creation, so the sooner Calvert-Lewin’s capable of leading the line, the better Leeds’ chances are of picking up results to stay above the dotted line.
Should DCL start v Fulham? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!