Paul Heckingbottom shares question he asked Leeds squad after defeat

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Leeds United’s Championship play-off hopes were dealt a blow as they suffered a 2-1 defeat.

Paul Heckingbottom has told LS11 that he asked the Leeds players after their defeat to Sheffield United on Saturday what the difference was between their performances before and after the break at Bramall Lane, and suggested that their second-half display is simply a starting point for the Whites.

Heckingbottom kicked off his tenure with Leeds with a defeat to the Blades as Billy Sharp scored twice – with his goals coming either side of Pierre-Michel Lasogga’s goal for the visitors – to ensure that Chris Wilder’s men’s play-off hopes were handed a boost.

There was a significant difference in Leeds’ display before and after the interval, with the Whites showing a lot more intent in the second-half than they had in the first 45 minutes when they only managed to properly test the Sheffield United goalkeeper once.

And after the game, Heckingbottom suggested that his post-match discussion with the players centred around the change in their performance after half-time.

“I asked the players after the game, ‘what was the difference in the second-half?’ And they said, ‘we played on the front foot, we were more positive, we had more energy.’ That’s the starting point,” he said, as reported by LS11.

“And then I said, ‘now your commitment is to your roles, to the details we’re going to give you because that’s the stuff that’s going to make you win games. What you’ve just spoken about there is a given, and that’s got to be a given every week’. So that was the message from the game.”

Leeds were undoubtedly a lot better in the second-half and looked at some stages like they may be able to turn the game on its head completely and go on and win the game.

And it should perhaps encourage the fans therefore, that Heckingbottom believes that the second-half display is the minimum that he expects from the team from now on. If it does prove to be the yardstick moving forward, perhaps it would be premature to write Leeds’ play-off hopes just yet.