Leeds United have won three, drawn one and lost four in all competitions since beating Derby in January.
Leeds manager Garry Monk
Leeds United boss Garry Monk has told BBC Radio Leeds that it is impossible for the Whites to try and regularly replicate the performance they put in against Derby in January, and that theory has been backed by Stuart Dallas, who also spoke to BBC Radio Leeds.
Leeds put in one of their best, and most complete, displays for several years when they beat Derby 1-0 at Elland Road last month. However, since then, things have not exactly gone to plan for Monk’s men.
In the eight games they have played since, the Whites have won three, lost four and drawn one, losing plenty of ground on the automatic-promotion chasers and suffering an embarrassing FA Cup defeat to Sutton United in the process.
And after their draw with Ipswich – where the Yorkshire side certainly struggled to get into the game – Monk explained that it is not possible for Leeds to put in that kind of display every time they take to the pitch.
“Welcome to the Championship,” he told BBC Radio Leeds when asked why they have not managed to replicate the Derby performance in the games since.
Leeds celebrating their goal against Derby
“That’s what I would say to that. We got out with the intentions always but it’s impossible in this league. There’s no team in this league that I’ve seen or ever seen that can play the same way or the same level every single game. The Championship doesn’t allow you that.”
And when Dallas – who scored Leeds’ equaliser at Portman Road – was asked for his take, he simply echoed what Monk had suggested.
“I think he summed it up pretty well. It’s a tough league and I think we would all love to go out and play like we did against Derby. It would be a pretty simple game if we did but it doesn’t work like that,” he also told BBC Radio Leeds.
Leeds’ Stuart Dallas celebrates scoring their equaliser against Ipswich
Although they have not put in anything like the performance they put together against the Rams in the game since, they arguably deserve some credit for coming through this difficult period with as many points as they have secured.
As Monk and Dallas alluded to, every team, even those battling for promotion, is going to have some blips and this is arguably Leeds’ second of the campaign. Nevertheless, they have still managed to take 10 points out of a possible 21 in the league, which highlights how they are often finding ways to get through games.
And if Leeds manage to put together the kind of run they managed around Christmas up until the Derby victory, the fact that they did claim so many points during this tricky patch may be looked back upon as being crucial to their play-off aspirations.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
