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Noel Whelan has admitted that Leeds will continue to struggle to climb the Premier League table if they don’t quickly address an obvious Achilles heel.
The Yorkshire team is back in the Premier League after a 16-year absence and has won fans for its exciting style of football.
However, Friday’s loss to West Ham it was the sixth in 12 games and the fourth in the last six.
After the game, an honest Marcelo Bielsa stayed to make this frank confession about your team’s performance.
It all started well for Leeds against David Moyes’ team with a Mateusz Klich penalty twice that gave them an early lead.
However, two set pieces proved their undoing with Tomas Soucek and Angelo Ogbonna heading home to lead the Hammers to fifth place.
AND Whelan He admits that unless Leeds manage to tense up at the back, they will have a hard time claiming victories.
Talking to Football InsiderHe even admitted that Leeds had been “embarrassed” by how easy it is for teams to expose the flaw.
“We’re playing brilliant football and it’s so good to watch, big credit to Bielsa for that,” Whelan said.
“We are giving every team in the league a run for their money. But it will be very difficult to climb the league and close these games if we do not make an effort to defend the set pieces.
“It is our weakest link. We’ve conceded the most goals in the league since set pieces and that needs to be addressed through drilling and practice on the training ground.
“We are not the biggest team anyway and West Ham is a huge one. But they know how to score against us, and that makes it too easy for these superior teams.
“We have spent a lot of money on a new center-back and they have been injured for a long time. So it all comes down to practice.
“Otherwise, it will continue to happen and we will continue to be embarrassed on set pieces.”
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Leeds is hopeful in new Alioski deal
Meanwhile, Leeds are hopeful that Ezgjan Alioski will sign a new contract before the January transfer window opens.
Alioski he has remained a regular for whites the season after their promotion to the Premier League. He has appeared in 10 of his team’s 12 games thus far, as a left back and left midfield.
But with the player in the last year of his contract, he is free to negotiate the terms with foreign suitors as of January 1.
However, Leeds hopes to keep Alioski on a new four-year contract worth £ 30,000 a week.
Negotiations should not be too difficult for Leeds as Alioski has publicly stated, he would like to stay in West Yorkshire.
He said BBC West Yorkshire Sport: “Nothing has happened yet. I am here, of course, until my contract ends next year.
“But I’m not thinking of leaving Leeds. My head is only for Leeds, concentrated. But what will happen will happen in the end.
“Of course I would love to stay here, but these are things that other people have to handle. I want to just enjoy the moment that I am here. I want to be focused on football.
“Other things, of course, I see them in the media, but nothing has happened yet. I’m here every day seriously, enjoying every day in Leeds. “
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