It is now highly likely Leeds United will have to settle for a place in the Championship play-offs.
Leeds head into the final day of the regular season tomorrow three points adrift of Ipswich Town, who just need to avoid defeat at home to all but relegated Huddersfield Town to secure second place.
The Tractor Boys managed to hold their nerve in away matches at Hull and Coventry City by picking up four points, capitalising on Leeds’ dismal 4-0 defeat to Queens Park Rangers seven days ago.
Leeds had the chance to pile all kinds of pressure on Ipswich with a win that night, but ultimately wilted themselves with their worst performance of the season.
Though Ben Parker still believes second place is possible for Leeds, it is now looking almost certain they will be in the play-offs, and so starting with tomorrow’s game against Southampton, Daniel Farke’s side need to re-find some form.
Sam Parkin shares what is ‘incredibly worrying’ at Leeds going into the play-offs
Leeds had looked favourites for promotion going into the March international break, sitting top of the Championship after 12 wins in 13 matches, conceding just three times.
However, Leeds just haven’t managed to rebuild the momentum that was built, picking up eight points in as many matches, while conceding a hefty 13 goals.
That run of hardly conceding was never going to last the full season, but the nature in which Leeds shipped four at QPR will have set alarm bells ringing. For the first two, Ilia Gruev twice afforded them the time and space to get shots away.
Leeds then conceded goals three and four from set-pieces, despite the fact QPR have been among the worst sides in the league at scoring from such situations this season.
Farke blamed himself for QPR’s second two goals in yesterday’s presser for taking Sam Byram off, but the withdrawal of one man shouldn’t make that much difference.
And speaking on the latest episode of the ‘What the EFL Podcast‘, pundit Sam Parkin says it is ‘incredibly worrying’ just how poor Leeds have become defensively over the last few matches.
He said: “I am not so sure they are [the best team in the play-offs] at the moment. Southampton have had an incredible run this season, have an incredible squad with real depth but it’s maybe more understandable they had a drop off in results given they are cemented in the play-offs but aren’t going to have a run at the automatics.
“For Leeds, I think that [defeat to QPR] was incredibly worrying. For a defence that has been so solid, racking up the clean-sheets, to see them concede seven goals, to see weak points from the dead balls and set-pieces.
“QPR have been woeful from free-kicks and corners throughout the season, so to score two goals from them so comfortably is a real concern for them. I felt Dan James missing was impactful, you look at the bench, who can come on and change things for Daniel Farke?
“No Bamford, I think that played a part in the resounding nature of the victory. Leeds are going to have put in somewhat of a performance here [vs Southampton]. There’s so many out of form players all of a sudden, that will be a real concern.”
Ethan Ampadu shares what mood at Leeds is like after 4-0 loss
Though Leeds will have harnessed hope of Ipswich dropping enough points in their two games in hands, that 4-0 defeat at QPR left them resigned to their fate.
The performance prompted an angry reaction from the away end at full-time towards the players and Leeds’ squad will have known in that moment they blew it.
However, speaking in an interview this week, Ethan Ampadu has insisted the mood remains as positive as it can be after such a poor result.
He said: “As weird it may sound – after the defeat, obviously deflated as you’d expect. Not just by the result but the standard of our performance.
“We didn’t put our stamp on the game at all and the result was deserved. After that night, the weekend, it was time to regroup. Big week coming up. The last couple of days have been good, lots of hard work.”