Leeds United are crumbling under the pressure again, but the reasons behind the demise are glaringly obvious

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Like clockwork, Leeds United’s title charge has come undone. But why do the Whites keep falling apart? With a little help from Ryan Dilks, we’ve got the answer.

For months, it seemed Leeds United would be crowned champions of the second tier come May, with Daniel Farke’s side relentlessly brushing teams aside week in, week out.

They were scoring freely, keeping it tight at the back, and striking fear into every other team in the Championship. But then, something changed.

It all started with that surprise defeat to Portsmouth in early March, and now, after more points dropped at the weekend against Swansea, Sheffield United have usurped Leeds and taken the top spot in the league with seven games to go.

After last season’s collapse and defeat in the play-offs, it seems history could be about to repeat itself this year. But why does this keep happening to Leeds?

• READ MORE: Five Championship players out of contract this summer with important decisions required

Why do Leeds United keep falling apart?

It’s painfully obvious that Leeds are falling apart again, just as their rival fans love to remind them with that riff on the classic Joy Division song.

The Whites have won just one of their last five games, drawing three and losing once. It’s not horrific form by any means, but it is not the stuff of champions, that’s for sure.

Discussing the downfall on the Second Tier podcast, Ryan Dilks dug into the problems lying under the surface for Leeds, and explained why this issue is rearing its ugly head once more.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	Sheff UtdSheffield Utd	39	26	7	6	56	29	27	83
2	LeedsLeeds	39	23	12	4	78	27	51	81
3	BurnleyBurnley	39	22	15	2	53	11	42	81
4	SunderlandSunderland	39	20	12	7	56	37	19	72
5	CoventryCoventry	39	17	8	14	56	51	5	59

The main issue at the heart of it all is the simple fact that this has happened before. Habits are hard to shake, be it good or bad, and Leeds now sadly find themselves in the habit of crumbling at the wrong moment.

As Dilks says, “Everyone at Leeds knows about the ‘falling apart’ tag. I think players go into games around this time of the season with the idea in their head that they might be falling apart, and then it just becomes this self-fulfilling prophecy.”

Tottenham Hotspur fans will know all about this concept. The ‘Spursy’ tag and the curse the club bears in not winning trophies over the last 17 years follows the Lilywhites everywhere they go, and that kind of negative, nagging criticism is incredibly difficult to shake once it’s in your head.

Footballers are only human, and who hasn’t at some point in their life let the doubters prevail? Be it at work, in relationships, or in your passions and hobbies, we’re willing to bet that someone, somewhere has said something that has ultimately led to you, the reader, crumbling under pressure.

It’s a vicious cycle, though. And, as Dilks adds, it’s not just the players, but the fans, too, who sense this weakness and magnify the weight of expectations.

He continued: “You can tell the fans feel it as well. So often, Elland Road is a fortress for Leeds and it can help them win games. But, it can also be a detriment. As soon as something goes wrong, there’s nerves around the ground. It becomes a huge bowl of nerves, which is obviously going to affect the players.

“Put it this way, is it any coincidence that the only promotion in last 30 years for Leeds came when no fans in the ground [due to Covid]?”

Dilks insists this is not something the fans can be blamed for, though, as they are more than entitled to voice their concerns and frustrations. The fact of the matter is, it’s up to the players to deal with that pressure and deliver what is expected.

• READ MORE: How Leeds United, Sheffield United, and Burnley’s final fixtures compare in Championship title race

What will happen if Leeds United do crumble this season?

This open and exciting title race is perfect for the neutral, but it’s no good for the health of any Leeds fans out there right now.

Let’s assume the worst, and look at a future where Leeds have fallen away from the title race, end up in the play-offs again, and lose there.

We know that if Leeds are confined to another season in the Championship, Daniel Farke will almost certainly lose his job.

Failure to go up would also surely see the likes of Dan James, Joel Piroe, Junior Firpo, and even Ao Tanaka susceptible to moves away from Leeds in the summer. Losing the core spine of the team, plus the manager, would essentially put Leeds back to square one.

With Birmingham City coming up and ready to spend big to get promoted next season (and potentially Wrexham doing the same), and the likes of Leicester City and Southampton about to drop back down to the second tier, competition for the top spots will be fierce next year.

If Leeds do fall apart now, they may have to wait years before they get another good shot at promotion. It won’t just be their season that falls apart, it will be their status as one of the top dogs in the Championship that is destroyed, too.