Leeds United will attempt to bounce back from their poor run of results when they host Middlesbrough on Sunday.
It will be the first time erstwhile boss Garry Monk will be returning to Elland Road since leaving in the summer, and with both sides with a point to prove, the clash is bound to be intense.
The Whites have struggled in front of goal in the last 3 games, scoring just a goal in each game.
Summer signing Pierre-Michel Lasogga, tasked with leading the line and replacing Chris Wood’s goals has managed just 5 strikes in 10 games.
The German has impressed in fits and starts, but much more is expected of him and former Leeds midfielder and Sky Sports pundit David Prutton reveals how the club can help him start firing on all cylinders.
Writing in his the YEP column, the ex-England youth international claimed: “From a shape point of view, the fact that you have got a centre-forward who touches the ball so very rarely is quiet staggering.
“Pierre-Michel Lasogga needs to assert himself more. For all his physical size and stature, he doesn’t cause the opposition enough problems, whether that’s because of him as an individual or because Leeds are not facilitating him. I think it’s probably a bit of both.
“I don’t think Leeds have quite worked out how best to utilise him – even if that sounds crazy when he was scored five goals.
“United need an all-round game from him. They need someone who brings others into play.
“They got a foothold in the Brentford game in the second half but they were effectively dead and buried by then.
“We have discussed the various permutations but you have got to be in a position where you are not just changing it because you are desperate for it to go right.
“You have got to be changing it because it’s a conscious decision to come away from what you have been doing, ie not winning.
“If you play a four-man midfield and have someone up there with Lasogga, that would maybe be a good step to get him on the ball more.”
Lasogga’s mobility has been often questioned, with many doubting if he’s truly capable of firing Leeds to Premier League promotion with his style of play.
Manager Thomas Christiansen has stuck with a 1-man striking system, but could be forced to eventually change his formation in order for the side to return to winning ways.
The result from the Middlesbrough game could go a long way in determining what shape the team’s attack take going forward.
