Leeds United warned they are ‘missing’ key thing this season, losing one player could cost them

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Last year, Leeds United lost 4-0 away to QPR towards the end of the campaign, but this season has seen Daniel Farke’s side battle from two goals down to draw 2-2 in the same fixture.

The Whites’ full-backs Junior Firpo and Jayden Bogle were instrumental in securing a point, which means they have lost just one of the last 20 matches in the Championship and it also maintains their place at the summit.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	LeedsLeeds	38	23	11	4	76	25	51	80
2	Sheff UtdSheffield Utd	38	25	7	6	53	28	25	80
3	BurnleyBurnley	38	21	15	2	52	11	41	78
4	SunderlandSunderland	38	19	12	7	55	37	18	69
5	CoventryCoventry	38	17	8	13	55	48	7	59
6	West BromWest Brom	38	13	18	7	48	34	14	57

Leeds have had to adapt from the side that finished third last season, with the departures of Archie Gray, Georginio Rutter, and Crysencio Summerville forcing Daniel Farke to find ways to evolve the team and strike a new balance.

That has certainly been the case so far, with goal contributions seen all over the pitch and from their bench, including plenty of late strikes to win vital points during a frustrating and intense tussle for promotion against Sheffield United and Burnley.

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EFL expert makes Luke Ayling leadership claim regarding Leeds United

Farke’s mistakes with his starting line-up against QPR were almost costly before Gnonto made an impact from the bench. He knows full well they must avoid the play-offs, given Leeds’ record at Wembley as well.

Despite those issues with Brenden Aaronson, and the loss of key players last summer, there are still numerous Leeds players who rank among the best in the Championship. However, the Leeds team is among the youngest in the division, which some pundits remain concerned by.

Sanny Rudravajhala of Sky Sports spoke on the The Guardian Football Weekly podcast’s EFL special, where he outlined an undervalued aspect that is perhaps missing from this Leeds side.

He said: “Last year, I did a shoot with Sky with all the Leeds players and Luke Humphries — the darts player. And the one thing I came away from it was what a nice guy Luke Ayling was.

“He wasn’t quite in the team, but he was bringing everyone together and he was being this guy getting everyone focused. And also bringing a bit of levity as well.

“He went off to Middlesbrough and now he’s there. But I wonder how many senior players — and I know ‘where’s the experience’ and all that sounds a bit of a cliche — but they are missing a bit of that.

“And it is kind of a young squad. And you know what? When you see stuff like [Manor] Solomon going off and having a bit of a hissy fit, when they’ve got such quality and talent coming off the bench as well — Willy Gnonto, for example.

“I do wonder where that [leadership] is coming from?”

Ayling was, of course, a highly-experienced member of the Leeds squad, and there’s no denying he brought plenty of value from a mental side of things.

But, as we’ve seen from his displays for Middlesbrough this season, there’s no way the veteran would have had a role to play on the pitch for Leeds this year. Suffice to say, most Leeds fans would rather take the hit on the leadership front and stick with the quality defenders they do have.

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Late Leeds United goals prove their mentality cannot be questioned

A variety of factors are needed during the automatic promotion run-in, including leadership as one key element. However, Leeds’ late goals surely point to a side that are more than capable in that regard.

There is more of a togetherness in this group and a steeliness to them, which ties into the inevitability factor at the latter stages of games. The ‘never-say-die’ attitude is a crucial aspect of the side and why they have won more points late on than any other side.

If one win in four is indeed a bit of a wobble for this team, then they will need the mental fortitude to recover, but Leeds have consistently shown their quality and character in that respect.

It’s also a testament to their fitness levels and the strength of their bench as well, which could be a crucial factor in many games during the business end of the campaign.