United had 69 per cent of possession against Forest but brought two meaningful saves from their goalkeepers in 90 minutes plus five of stoppage-time. Dimitar Evtimov, a debutant keeper who replaced the injured Dorus De Vries towards the end of the match, saw out the game under none of the pressure his status as a novice invited Leeds to put on him. United’s football was tired and aimless, and tactically bereft. We needed to stay in the game and we need to be much better than that,†McDermott said. “In the previous two games we got it right, defended properly and got two clean sheets. I’m glad we got those six points because it made sure that we were cemented in the league. I’m looking for performances in our last two games but then we’ve got a big summer ahead. Going forward, we know that for us to compete at the right end of the table we need to be better.â€
McDermott lost Marius Zaliukas to injury at Barnsley on Saturday and had decided on Friday that Matt Smith would play at Oakwell but start Monday’s match on the bench. The wing-back system which kept Barnsley and Blackpool in check was replaced by a diamond midfield against Forest, a strategy which McDermott employed in the first two months of the season but gave up on before long. Forest worked it out after one minute and 32 seconds, scoring with their first attack.
The prevailing view is that Leeds are stuck in a rut. No matter the rethinks, the experiments, the little fillips or the reappearance of previously discarded players, the club invariably return to this same, perplexing point.
YEP
