Leeds United have been going through some defensive woes of late, and they should turn to Cameron Borthwick-Jackson to help address them.
In their last 10 games, Leeds have won just twice. In that time they have scored 11 goals but conceded double that amount, letting 22 goals slip by. Part of both of those woes is their situation at left-back.
Manager Thomas Christiansen has been favouring the Swiss right-back Gaetano Berardi out of position on the left, and it’s not been working.
Leeds have allowed 78 accurate crosses against them, 14 teams have allowed less. Berardi has played 10 games for a total of 707 minutes, and in that time he’s attempted 1.6 tackles per game and completed 0.8; creating 0.4 chances per game.
| Total Tackle GAME | Won Tackle GAME | Effective Clearance GAME | Total Att Assist GAME | Accurate Cross GAME | Games | Mins | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luke Ayling | 2.61 | 2 | 3 | 0.44 | 0.22 | 18 | 1,620 |
| Cameron Borthwick-Jackson | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 82 |
| Pontus Jansson | 1.6 | 1.2 | 9 | 0.2 | 0 | 15 | 1,267 |
| Liam Cooper | 1.36 | 0.86 | 5.93 | 0.21 | 0 | 14 | 1,160 |
| Gaetano Berardi | 1.6 | 0.8 | 2.7 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 10 | 707 |
| Matthew Pennington | 0.57 | 0.57 | 8.29 | 0.14 | 0 | 7 | 464 |
Borthwick-Jackson has played just once for Leeds but in that game he won 2/2 tackles and created 2 chances as well. That’s a small sample size but he’s definitely a player of great potential.
A former Manchester United academy graduate, Borthwick-Jackson broke through in Louis van Gaal’s final season at United at just 18 years of age. He presented himself as a thoroughly composed defender, able to play as a centre-back (whether in a back three or four) and as a left-back.
He has proven potential and even though injury knocked him back, he’s a player that Leeds should put their faith in. After all, it is clearly not working with Berardi at left-back. So why not roll the dice on Borthwick-Jackson? He’s just 20, so has plenty of room to grow and iron out the kinks in his game.
His mentality cannot be questioned either. Recall 2015/16 when the Manchester United team bus was attacked by West Ham fans. Bricks were pelted and broke the windows and Jesse Lingard posted a video to social media of all the United players understandably ducking for cover in the middle of the bus.
Except Borthwick-Jackson, that is. The 18 year-old remained calmly in his seat, watching the chaos unfold around him with serenity. That steel, the confidence, there’s just no way that doesn’t get translated into footballing excellence.
All he needs is a chance. Just a run of games in the side at left-back for Leeds and he will absolutely be able to deliver. After all there’s a reason Manchester United have only loaned him out rather than sold him; they are keenly aware of his potential and Leeds should take advantage of that.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
