Leeds United face off against one of the fanbase’s most-hated figures on Saturday as they gear up for a clash with Garry Monk’s Sheffield Wednesday.
It’s no secret that United fans aren’t too fond of their former manager after he resigned from the Elland Road post following just one season, and to make matters worse they’ve struggled to get the better of him in recent years.
Monk did the double over Leeds with Birmingham last term, and the Whites could only muster a draw with the Owls earlier this season.
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It must be annoying for United fans to see their side face difficulties against their former boss time and time again, but it may be down to one tactic that the 40-year-old has consistently used against them.
Simple but effective
Monk’s recipe for getting the better of Leeds is incredibly simple and effective.
It’s not pretty and it’s not clever, but during his spells with both Birmingham and Wednesday, he has opted to play a route one style with a target man being the focal point of many attacks.
Last term, Lukas Jutkiewicz caused United many problems as he won 24 aerial duels across two games, and this season Steven Fletcher has already won six aerial duels in their first clash of the campaign.
Can’t happen again
Leeds need to make sure that this doesn’t happen again, but that’s easier said than done.
Marcelo Bielsa has previously been called the best coach in the world, but he’s not found a solution to this problem yet, but the fix could be a simple one.
It’s easy to say that it’s all about marking Fletcher tightly by sticking Liam Cooper on him for 90 minutes as he wins 4.4 aerial duels per game, but the Whites’ best bet could be to stop the issue at its root.
United need to press harder than ever before in order to stop the long balls coming in over the top or else it will be another long afternoon for the Whites’ backline.
It’ll be up to the likes of Patrick Bamford and the forward players to ensure the supply line is stopped efficiently.
In other news, fans of a Premier League club have urged their team to sign one Leeds man.
