Thomas Christiansen is under pressure as Leeds boss and things don’t get much easier with Middlesbrough, Wolves, Barnsley and Aston Villa coming up.
Leeds United manager Thomas Christiansen during the Sky Bet Championship match against Brentford.
The Leeds United hierarchy have moved to publicly support head coach Thomas Christiansen ahead of the return to Championship action against Middlesbrough on Sunday (November 19).
Some could view this as the dreaded vote of confidence, although after the unpredictability of previous owner Massimo Cellino, this morale boost from managing director Angus Kinnear appears to be genuine.
Massimo Cellino looks on during The Emirates FA Cup Fourth Round match between Bolton Wanderers and Leeds United.
“I don’t think it is fair to question him,” Kinnear was quoted by the Yorkshire Post. “Most supporters, fair-minded supporters, would look at a manager coming into a completely new league – a very challenging league, and working with a new squad with new players – and to be three points off the play-offs now is not far off what you would expect a new manager to do.
“Naturally, there is concern because we need to stay in touch with the play-off places but we are confident the ingredients are there to regain the form and get back on track.
“The position we are in is not way off track from where we want to be, three points off the playoffs. Our target is to get in the playoffs and we are well on track to deliver that.”
Andrea Radrizzani, owner of Leeds United, looks on during the Sky Bet Championship match against Bristol City.
However, while Andrea Radrizzani is already proving to be a more patient owner than his predecessor, results have been poor recently under Christiansen and that can only last so long before a decision is made.
Leeds have lost six of their last nine league games, a run which has seen them drop from the automatic promotion places down to tenth in the table.
Things don’t get much easier with Boro the visitors to Elland Road this weekend, a side managed by Garry Monk – who stepped down from his position with the Whites in the summer – and are in fine form after three successive victories has moved them up to fifth.
After that are visits to leaders Wolverhampton Wanderers and Barnsley – a team Leeds have beaten just three times in 12 attempts in the second tier of English football in a run that stretches back to 2006 – before another promotion hopeful in Aston Villa comes to Yorkshire on December 1.
How Christiansen performs in these next four fixtures, played during a 12-day period, could well decide his future at the helm.
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