Roy Keane was left outraged at Leeds United’s defending in the 4-1 defeat to Tottenham, in a must-win game for their Premier League survival.
Leeds United have been relegated from the Premier League back to the Championship, following a 4-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur at Elland Road.
The defeat on final day ends a three-year stay in the top flight for Leeds, after Marcelo Bielsa gained promotion with the club in 2020. Leeds would finish ninth under his tutelage, but sacked him in February 2021 following a poor spell of results.
Leeds then went on to appoint Jesse Marsch, who ensured survival on final day by beating Brentford 2-1. Leeds would finish 17th and give Marsch a summer of financial backing.
Despite seven new first-team signings season, Leeds struggled for most of the campaign, with Marsch sacked and replaced by Javi Gracia earlier this year.
The Spaniard would last only a little over two months in charge, with Sam Allardyce then appointed to take charge of the final four games of the campaign.
Leeds accrued just one point with him at the helm, and ended the season in 19th. They conceded the most goals (78) in the Premier League in the process.
What have the pundits said about LeedsLeeds’ miserable campaign was the subject of discussion by Sky Sports pundits Roy Keane and Jamie Carragher following the full-time whistle at Elland Road. Keane led much of the criticism and did not hold back, highlighting Leeds’ defending and mentality as particular weak points during the run-in.Keane said: “They looked weak over the last month or two. Sam’s come in, he’s mentioned they’re fighting for their lives and they concede four goals at home – nowhere near good enough, despite whatever Sam was trying to do.”
The defending he believes would not look out of place in a Sunday league pub team, he added: “He obviously came in too late but defensively they looked so weak. Some of the goals we were looking at there, it’s almost pub team defending. Not strong enough mentally and desire nowhere near good enough.”
How will Leeds fare in the Championship next season?
There is little time to waste for Leeds, who will likely have many incomings and outgoings to deal with this summer.
That doesn’t just apply to the playing recruitment side of things, but at other levels of the club’s structure as well.
Many key decisions need to be made at Elland Road over the coming weeks: there are issues at ownership level, there is no director of football or sporting director, and a new manager may yet be appointed.
They need to start the work behind the scenes swiftly, otherwise their opposition will not hang around and move ahead of them in terms of their readiness for 2023/24.
