![]() These were errors in judgement committed long ago now, but all important in the chain of events which has Leeds now back in the Championship. Adam Forshaw, as Radrizzani memorably tweeted, was their solution in midfield, despite missing the two previous years of football. Kalvin Phillips had no natural, capable deputy when he was missing between December and April. ![]() That only compounded the problems in the engine room. Stuart Dallas would be required to play there for much of the season and pulled from the midfield area he had thrived in one year earlier. Jack Harrison would sign permanently, but he was far from an addition to what was already in the building.įirpo was a downgrade on the inconsistent Ezgjan Alioski and the latest in a long line of problematic left-backs. The Argentine needed fresh meat to mould, but all he got was Junior Firpo and Daniel James. This was a group which had been taken to its limits by Bielsa. Of the 12 players to play the most minutes in 2020/21, Raphinha was the only one who had not been in the second tier with Leeds. Leeds United player ratings as Kristensen and Struijk dire on dark day after relegation vs Tottenham.Sam Allardyce on staying at Leeds United and ownership's critical next steps after relegation.There would be just two senior faces added to a squad which was still dominated by Championship title winners. While the rest of the division was reloading and weaponising, the Whites were standing still. It felt like an unstoppable train, but the Premier League does not allow that kind of progress to go unmarked. This was a team which had finished ninth in its first season after promotion and then ended that campaign with top-four momentum. In the weeks after the West Brom win, all of the sound bites from Radrizzani and Victor Orta about returning Leeds to the European table they deserved had begun to seem unexpectedly realistic. It was a warning sign, a threat of what would come calling for the Whites if they did not learn from their mistakes. While this campaign deserves its own attention as a tale of woe, it is impossible to ignore the connection with 2021/22’s demise. The good times were astonishing, life-changing periods in our lives, but the Italian has overseen a project with net gains off the field, but ultimately back at square one on it. In the 24 months since that May day farewell the project has crumbled, credit in the bank has been exhausted, icons have been dismissed, pretenders have been given too much time and squads have been left underpowered.įrom 2021’s lacklustre summer transfer window to last month’s Marc Guehi equaliser, the road has been littered with the flashpoints and sliding doors moments which have Leeds back where they started under Andrea Radrizzani. That was the high water mark of this administration, this era. Nobody is suggesting Leeds would have kept up that rate of return across a full term, but even if you took 10 to 15 per cent off that level of performance you could see a well-established future in the top half of the top flight. If you applied that 2.3 points per game average to an entire season, Leeds would have been guaranteed Champions League football, if not a title tilt in an open campaign. Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur were beaten, while there were credible draws with Liverpool and Manchester United at Elland Road. READ MORE: Leeds United vs Tottenham Hotspur LIVE reaction and analysis Twenty-three points came from the final 10 matches of their first season back in the top flight. Allardyce could only stroppily chew his gum as Marcelo Bielsa put his condemned men to the sword.Īllardyce might have consoled himself that day with the knowledge Leeds were finishing that season like a Champions League train. There may be more May tears from the Spaniard and Swiss today if they have been able to bring themselves to watch the sad demise of the house they helped build to its zenith in 2021. Leeds United confidently sent an already-relegated West Bromwich Albion packing with a 3-1 win on a day devoted to the tears and service of Pablo Hernandez and Gaetano Berardi. ![]() As it could do today, Sam Allardyce’s last coaching stint ended at Elland Road.
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