MX23RW : Monday, December 23 04:18:59| >> :120:19070:19070:

Sam Allardyce knows "interesting thought" is required to break down Leeds

Sam Allardyce knows
© Reuters
West Brom and Leeds have conceded 60 goals between them in the Premier League this season.

West Brom boss Sam Allardyce admits breaking down leaky Leeds will not be as easy as it looks.

United and Albion have the joint worst defensive records in the Premier League, with both having conceded 30 times.

They face each other at The Hawthorns on Tuesday with the visitors having shipped four goals or more on four occasions.

Second-bottom Albion have conceded eight goals in their last two home games and Allardyce knows he will still have to think outside the box to unlock Marcelo Bielsa's side.

"I've got to work out why it's so crazy. His (Bielsa's) intelligence and his unique style serves the players and stands the club in good stead," he said, after Albion's impressive 1-1 draw at Liverpool on Sunday.

"We have to find a way of scoring against them which sometimes seems pretty easy but it is never going to be as easy as that.

"But on the pitch they try to go out and score as many goals as they can so we have to cancel that out. It will require some interesting thought from myself.

"We have an idea, I watched them a bit on the telly against Burnley and I thought Burnley were robbed of a goal I saw.

"When you are going to play against Leeds you know you are going to have to try to stop them being as adventurous as they are. But also, can we expose the weaknesses and gaps and space in defence when we attack?"

Allardyce may not make many changes as he gets to know his squad but remains without the banned Jake Livermore.

Conor Townsend and Hal Robson-Kanu are injured although Kyle Bartley may be available after a calf problem.

Allardyce added: "Sammy (Lee) and I are not sure about the squad yet because we've only really trained them and not seen them in many matches so I'm not sure we can make too many changes.

"If there are changes that need to be made hopefully the players that come in will do what the players have done (at Anfield).

"Against Leeds we want to try to go and win so we have to be more creative when we can if we have more possession."

ID:428301: cacheID:428301:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:3686:
Written by
P A
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Jack Grealish in action for Aston Villa on December 20, 2020
Read Next:
PL Team of the Week - Fernandes, Grealish, Watkins
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd22155232112148
2Leeds UnitedLeeds22136341152645
3Burnley2212822891944
4Sunderland22127334181643
5Blackburn RoversBlackburn2111462518737
6Middlesbrough22105738281035
7West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom22811326161035
8Watford2110473028234
9Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds229582830-232
10Millwall217772118328
11Swansea CitySwansea227692424027
12Bristol City226972628-227
13Norwich CityNorwich226883734326
14Queens Park RangersQPR2251072328-525
15Luton TownLuton2274112538-1325
16Derby CountyDerby2266102728-124
17Coventry CityCoventry2266102834-624
18Preston North EndPreston2241172229-723
19Stoke CityStoke2257102330-722
20Portsmouth204882535-1020
21Hull City2247112131-1019
22Cardiff CityCardiff2146111934-1518
23Oxford UnitedOxford Utd2146112137-1618
24Plymouth ArgylePlymouth2146112245-2318


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!