Garry Monk brought attackers into Leeds United; but the right attackers?
Leeds United have only won twice since the transfer window slammed unceremoniously shut, consigning silly season gossip and luminescent yellow ties to the wardrobe for another few months.
And while the majority of the January talk focused on whether Garry Monk would add another striker to his ranks, whether Leonardo Ulloa or Omar Bogle, David Nugent or Ashley Fletcher, potentially damaging defeats to Huddersfield Town and Cardiff City, not to mention an awkward draw at Ipswich Town, have only intensified the demand for more firepower at Elland Road.
Though it’s far too late now.
However, it’s not upfront where Leeds’ problems lie. Despite a blip in results, Chris Wood continues to defy the doubters. He’s scored two and assisted one in February.
Instead, the concerns lie behind Leeds’ talismanic top scorer, especially after both Cardiff and Ipswich pushed Pablo Hernandez, the creative outlet in an otherwise workmanlike midfield, to the periphery.
Leeds only added two new players to their squad in January; wingers Modou Barrow and Alfonso Pedraza on loan from Swansea and Villarreal.
And while they purported to add depth in attack, do they really offer any variation to Monk’s options? Pedraza (below) and Barrow are both direct, pacy dribblers with the ability to commit, and beat, defenders.
However, they do not help Leeds pick a tight lock or, indeed, crack open a sturdy backline organised by Mick McCarthy.
With just over two months of the season to go, there’s a growing concern that Leeds have been ‘found out’, with Cardiff and Ipswich starting a new trend of sitting deep. Barrow and Pedraza, meanwhile, thrive on wide open spaces of green.
Chris Wood is not the problem. Though getting the ball to him might be.
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