Tuesday, 7 August 2012

Can Leeds achieve promotion without Snodgrass?


Robert Snodgrass has been the main man at Elland Road, for quite some time now and his departure to Premier League side Norwich may be a key factor if they are to fail in their quest to reach England’s top tier. So let’s have a look and see if they are capable of surviving without their former skipper.

Warnock Wonders:
Leeds Boss Neil Warnock has an impressive record with championship clubs and he has sent them on their way to the Premier League on different occasions, most notably with Sheffield United and QPR. He is good man-to-man manager, who sends a crystal clear message across to his players, he may not be obsessed with attractive football, but what he does get out of his players is passion, commitment, desire and a winning mentality. They play for him, they work for him and if they don’t, then they are in for it, come the end of the game. Warnock has brought in many new faces at Leeds, most of which he has managed before and some who have experienced promotion. What he also has is bags of experience, if you look at his squad he has players such as Michael Brown 35-years-old, Adam Drury is 33, Jamie Ashdown is now 31, Danny Pugh (29), Paddy Kenny (34) and Andy Gray (34). It’s not just a bunch of old-heads though, as there are also many exciting youngsters in the ranks aswell such as the versatile Aidy White, Alex Cairns, Jason Pearce and Tom Lees. Warnock will continue to bring in new players if he thinks they are required and as soon as his players arrive, they will understand what he expects of them.

Squad Depth:
Its obvious that Championship sides don’t have the largest of squads, but when you look at Leeds, they have a lot of players in each position, including 6 strikers, 8 midfielders, 9 defenders, players who can play in various role’s, aswell as 4 goalkeepers. There are some top class players in the squad, who can play at Premiership level; they have players who can come in when others are injured and suspended. They have quality in their back up aswell, they don’t want to be throwing a player in, who isn’t really committed to the club and is just there to make up the numbers; so that’s why they have great players in each position. A big squad is needed if you want to make a serious assault on the Championship and that’s what Leeds boast.

Becchio the key man:
It isn’t clear what formation the Whites will play, nor what system, but what is clear is that they have goals up their sleeve. They have many proven goalscorers to offer, although the main man up top is Argentinian Striker Luciano Becchio. Becchio is a natural goalscorer, who can find the net from all angles and distances. He only managed to score 11 goals last season, which was because he was suffering from a hamstring injury. He seems to have moved on from the injury and Neil Warnock is expecting him to recapture his goalscoring exploits.He thrived on the quality service of Snodrgass and now its up to his team-mates to deliver, if you put in a plate for him, he is likely to put it away. Different Combinations of strike partnerships can be tried out, but I believe that it would be best to play with Becchio spearheading the attack and Luke Varney occupying the second-striker role, playing just behind. I feel that Varney and Becchio would work very well together and spring up some goals. Whoever he plays with, Becchio will be a key player for the West Yorkshire outfit.

Leeds have always been a huge club and there home lies in the Premier League, this season is there real chance to achieve Premier League status once again, I believe they have what is required and what it takes to climb back into England’s top division.

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