Leeds United are facing the prospect of yet another play-off finish despite such a strong start to the season.
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink has seemingly been left baffled by Jack Harrison, who was making ‘silly, silly decisions’ for the ‘whole game’ as Leeds suffered a 2-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
Speaking to Sky Sports Football (08/02/2020 at 19:35 pm), Hasselbaink wasn’t impressed with how Harrison dealt with the ball which led to Leeds conceding the second goal yesterday as he stated he has ‘no idea’ what he was trying to do.
“The decision-making of Leeds was just really poor today, really poor,” Hasselbaink told Sky Sports. “The second goal sums them up. And it’s difficult times.
“This is just a hook. Just hook it back [on Harrison losing the ball just before Forest scored their second] why you have to bring it down? I have no idea. It’s 2 [Forest players, Walker and Lolley] v 1 [Harrison] and Joe Lolley takes it off him and then unselfishly [passes to Walker who scores].
“You just have to make it simple and put it back. It’s the last 30 seconds of the game. Lolley shouldn’t even come close to it. He should have to just hook it back [into Forest’s half] and let the forwards have a battle and try to have some kind of luck.
“He [Harrison] wants to bring it down at a time that you cannot bring it down. The whole game he was making silly, silly decisions and they were not coming off. Other players also don’t get me wrong. It was a Leeds that I don’t recognise at all.”
Leeds were off-colour in terms of performance against Forest, which will be a very worrying sign for Marcelo Bielsa and the supporters.
Usually, Leeds create chance after chance and it’s their lack of ruthlessness which comes under question and criticism. But as mentioned above, the second goal summed Leeds up, as Harrison, who earns £51k-a-week and is on-loan from Manchester City [Spotrac], was one who had to take heavy criticism after the match.
But they were hardly a threat at the City Ground and they deserved losing against a Forest side who are now breathing down their neck.
Bielsa will be hoping that the return of Kalvin Phillips on Tuesday night will help bring a much-needed boost to a side that is now lacking confidence.
The Yorkshire club will make a trip to London to take on Brentford, who can overtake them with a win, as a certain Pontus Jansson will be coming up against his former club.
Leeds could do with his presence at the back, especially from set-piece situations because they have struggled in that area this term.
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