[ad_pod ]
This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
Leeds’ first-half display didn’t provide many answers for Marcelo Bielsa as they went into the break at Oakwell with the game level at 0-0.
It took Leeds until the final ten minutes to finally break the deadlock as like they did against Swansea, they struggled to actually find the back of the net before eventually prevailing 2-0.
Jack Harrison was one of the poorer performers from a Whites perspective and was withdrawn at half time with Helder Costa coming on.
He won the free-kick for Leeds’ opening goal so he definitely had a key impact in securing a win for the visitors.
However, it may not be Costa that’s causing Harrison the most problems.
On the chalkboard
The 22-year-old started the season in brilliant fashion by scoring against Bristol City but since that outing, he hasn’t been able to contribute to a single goal.
Harrison has been struggling and with Costa breathing over his shoulder, the 5 foot 9 winger’s place could be under threat.
Against the Reds last Sunday, he had just one shot and achieved a pass success rate of 65% according to WhoScored.
He also managed a solitary key pass but had two unsuccessful touches in 45 minutes on the field.
It was an unconvincing display, one where he failed to really get forward.
The heatmap above demonstrates where Harrison was most involved at Oakwell but as you can see, he spent most of the time behind the halfway line. That isn’t ideal for someone you expect to be influencing the game in the final third.
This time you can see Ezgjan Alioski’s heatmap. His average positions were much higher up the field which can be argued as a reason for why Harrison was deeper last weekend.
Alioski is known for getting forward and already has a goal to his name this term, adding to the seven he scored in 2018/19.
With that in mind, the North Macedonian might be one of the reasons for why Harrison has struggled since his introduction into the side.
Watch Leeds United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below
Considering Alioski is such a presence in attacking scenarios, it may have the Manchester City loanee thinking he needs to be more disciplined and sit back, rather than leaving a big gap in behind down the left.
That, in turn, leads to a less daring display from Harrison who is playing deeper than he would probably like to.
Unless he starts getting further forward, it’s difficult to see how he’ll improve his numbers in terms of goals and assists.
