Leeds United have been handed advice from BBC pundit Nedum Onuoha on their Premier League survival bid.
It’s a new-look Leeds United team of 10 fresh faces, and Farke has talked up tactical flexibility in the Premier League improving as well this season, albeit that has not been showcased in every single fixture thus far
It means Leeds are taller, more physically powerful, and with a number of combative players throughout their side. Given the size and power in the team, it’s fair to say that the 49ers appear to have done their Premier League research on what it takes to survive. ‘
Even if some final pieces of the puzzle were missed out on, set-pieces will be vital to Leeds after players such as Anton Stach have made Leeds significantly taller. That will be a crucial aspect for survival this term, with seven of the new players being 6’2″ or more.
Nedum Onuoha explains how Leeds can improve set-pieces
With all that being said regarding height and increased physicality, James Lawrence Allcott asked BBC pundit Nedum Onuoha about Leeds’ chances and how the height of the team has improved.
He asked Onuoha: “[They are] missing like a forward or El Khannouss like that kind of missing forward?”
Onuoha responded: “But then you also need forwards that going to fit in with how the team wants to play. And they’re going to have to make teams uncomfortable if they’re going to be staying up. And I think for now the players that they have are probably going to suit that.
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“Yeah, some of it might have to do with say, trying to defend the what quote unquote ‘modern day set-pieces’, because if, you know, it’s from corners recently? Inswinging is so in vogue. getting as many as you can into that six-yard box.
“And, if you’re going to be playing against the likes of like Arsenal and so on, you’ve got to be able to physically back yourself, yeah. And I think some of that comes with recent years with probably City, Arsenal and so on where they can outplay you, but it’s physical as well.
“So I think that maybe has changed things a little bit. So yeah, the influx I get it and I think, for Farke, he’s in a good position in some ways because he’s getting a chance to do it again with his past experiences in his mind — knowing that this is the way it has to be.
“But, unfortunately, there was all that noise at the end of last season about he was going to get sacked as well.”
He added: “But it depends how you’re going to use it to your advantage because not every game is like, you know, just played in the air and being super physical.
“They’ll have the set-piece and so on and you could have your issues in terms of deciding who’s going to mark who. But something that really stuck with me was in the years when I was at QPR, we were playing Brentford.
“Brentford were one of the best teams on set-pieces and nobody was tall. They were best at set-pieces in defence and attack and nobody was tall.
“So you’d go, you’d be walking onto the pitch, you’d be shaking hands, everybody’s short apart from like one or two guys like John Egan, maybe one more was tall. And you just couldn’t score from set-pieces against them.
“And considering it’s the Championship where everyone is a flipping tree. I was like, how is this a thing? And then when they’d have their set-pieces — it was always creative.
“You know what I mean? Something always off the cuff. So what does the height advantage get you? Well, if it’s a proper footballing game, probably nothing.”
Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty ImagesJames Lawrence Allcott and Nedum Onuoha talk up Leeds and Sunderland’s home atmospheres
Another way to be a tough team capable of survival is to have Elland Road become a fortress. That aspect could also be a huge attacking differential in the relegation battle.
Alcott added: “Home form is going to be crucial. I think that that first win against Everton…”
Onuoha: “Absolutely, I thought they deserved it as well, you know.”
“Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. But you could feel like those old those old stadiums there’s a different sound and I think it can still have a bit of a…”
“It’s the same as like Sunderland from when they’ve come back up. A lot of people forgot that their stadium is one of the top 10 biggest in the country. So like Sunderland’s capacity I think it’s like 48,000.
“So, because they’ve not been in the Premier League, it’s easy to forget their status or whatever. Then you go then you see them go there and the ball goes in you see a lot of people jumping you hear a lot of noise.
“Well of course because there are more people there than at most stadiums around the country.”