Just how important are the wings for Leeds United?

It was no secret going into the 2021/22 season that Leeds United would need to strengthen their full-back department.

Whilst Luke Ayling was ever-present at right-back throughout the 2020/21 campaign, the spot he has truly made his own over the last five years, left-back was more of the same. More of what has been so common under Marcelo Bielsa. Interchangeable, makeshift and often, a weak spot.

Whilst Gjanni Alioski and Stuart Dallas each played comfortably in the role, it’s no secret that they were never the long-term answer. Alioski has now moved out to the Middle East, having recently signed a contract with Al-Ahli. As for Stuart Dallas, the Northern Irishman will provide adept cover for the position, but it’s clear that his talents better suit his side’s midfield.

As such, it came as no surprise when upon the conclusion of the season, Leeds saw themselves linked with swarms of left-backs. Romain Perraud, Javi Galan and Maxwel Cornet are just some of the many names that saw themselves linked with a move to LS11. This noise mellowed, of course, upon the signing of none other than Barcelona’s Junior Firpo.

Whilst Firpo’s arrival certainly suggests that Leeds will have a higher sense of defensive security on their left-hand side, fans are well aware that this is scarcely half of a full-back’s job.

Complete with their flanking midfield partner ahead of them, the wings of Leeds United make up, arguably, their most valuable component. They are the main outlet of attack for the Whites, with one of the four often the bearer of the ball as they look to create a goal. It’s less so a question of how important the wing is for Leeds, and more so if it is the single most important aspect of their football.

Their wings encompass some of the toughest aspects of Marcelo Bielsa’s system. They forever have to be on the move whilst also maintaining a consistent awareness at both sides of the pitch. The winger and full-back have often proved fairly fluent, frequently overlapping and tracking back to cover whoever advances.

(Credit: FBRef)

Leeds tabled fourth for attempted crosses in the 2020/21 season and were forever amongst the highest-ranked for such a statistic. That number is a mere inkling as to the wider philosophy that encompasses them and how they play but crosses certainly seem to be a fundamental part of their ideology.

Perhaps a slightly strange one too, when you realise Leeds only scored eight headed goals last season, with lone striker Patrick Bamford scoring only two of those headed goals.

Despite the lack of headed goals, that doesn’t mean Leeds were any less inclined to keep crossing the ball in, or at the very least, keep the play out wide. According to WhoScored, last season the Whites kept 76% of play on their wing with 37% played on the left, whilst 38% was played on the right. Only 24% of Leeds’ attacking play came through the middle. Perhaps a surprising number to read at first, but should it be?

Obviously, Kalvin Phillips occupies the pivot from which he can spray long passes out wide, but who else did he have to pass to? Rodrigo and Mateusz Klich struggled with fitness and injury, and therefore form, for much of this season. Tyler Roberts grew as the season went on but definitely had some rough games, and Dallas only came into midfield, truly, at the end of the campaign.

Such a reliance on the wing places an even greater pressure on their shoulders. Not only must they carry out their duties as a cog in a Bielsa system, but they too must hold the burden of offensive creativity, seemingly always.

Leeds’ wide men are ‘often the bearer of the ball’ in their side’s attack. Looking at progressive distances from last season, it’s no surprise to see that all five of Alioski, Dallas, Ayling, Raphinha and Jack Harrison nestle not only in the top 10 but the top six.

Nonstop, the wings of Leeds United (Credit: FBRef)

If you don’t watch Leeds, it becomes abundantly clear within mere seconds of stat reading how crucial their wings are. This isn’t to take away from any other member of the team, as each have their own, usually specific, role within the side.

The wingers, though, have to maintain their tasks with minimal help. Often, they can cut inside to assist their central midfield. The midfield, however, can hardly ever assist their wide men, as doing so would create a noticeable imbalance in the team’s formation.

In line with Bielsa’s man-marking system, pressuring an opponent is a vital aspect of the thinking of the team. Whilst all within the team are capable pressers, the men on the wing often find themselves being some of the most active on that front, and with good reason.

Harrison and Raphinha advance to assist their striker as the opponents look to build from the back, whilst Ayling and his fellow full-back are, from the second the ball crosses into their half, alert and on their toes, and they have to be.

This, combined with the overlapping nature of the four out wide, no doubt serves to explain how the full-backs rank so highly in pressures within the offensive third of the pitch, whilst the wingers do the same in the defensive third. Not only that, but of the top 10 most pressures from a player in the Leeds side, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to see the aforementioned five within that 10.

The press of the wings (Credit: FBRef)

There is absolutely no doubt that, if Leeds United wish to replicate their past season in any way, then every single member of that side will need to be on top form, obviously. The wings, however, may just prove to be the most vital coefficient in Leeds’ Premier League algorithm for the foreseeable future.

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