Leeds United face an uphill task to stay in the Premier League, and new manager Sam Allardyce will surely have to improve the defence if he is going to keep the Yorkshire outfit in the Premier League.
What changes must Allardyce make to Leeds' defence?
The 4-1 defeat against Bournemouth ensured that Leeds now boast the worst defensive record in the division, with a remarkable 67 goals shipped in the top flight, which has also included heavy defeats against Liverpool and Crystal Palace in recent weeks.
Fingers have naturally been pointed at both the goalkeeper and the defence after Leeds bested their own record of goals conceded in a calendar month, and huge changes must be made by Allardyce if he wants to avoid similarly disappointing defeats against the high-flying Manchester City and Newcastle United in their next two games.
Despite the number of goals conceded, three of Leeds' defensive options rank in their top six players this season according to WhoScored, with Pascal Struijk, Max Wober and Liam Cooper all performing to a fairly consistent level in the Premier League.
Should Robin Koch be dropped by Leeds?
This begs the question therefore of why Robin Koch has been the main man for Leeds at centre-back so far this term, with the 26-year-old featuring in 33/34 Premier League games, with a shocking WhoScored average rating of 6.52.
Signed from Freiburg in 2020, the Germany international has struggled throughout his time at Elland Road, failing to average above a 6.6 rating from WhoScored in any of his seasons in the Premier League.
Speaking on a Leeds United Live Facebook stream following a 5-1 defeat against Manchester United in 2021, Beren Cross was less than complimentary of Koch's performance.
He said:
“Koch and Struijk today, not good enough at all, for me. I think I gave them 3s in the ratings.
“I mean, Fernandes almost retired Robin Koch, it was just horrible to watch, at times, because he just could not get a handle of him."
As a former defender, Allardyce will surely appreciate the need to have his best-performing centre-backs on the pitch for the final four games, and the stats certainly suggest that the £40k-per-week liability shouldn't be anywhere near the starting side.
He ranks 14th for tackles and sixth for interceptions per game in Leeds' squad, while his pass success rate of 77.6% is worrying considering he completes the second-most passes per game at Elland Road, which suggests that he often has the ball but doesn't know how to effectively use it.
Therefore, with defensive security a must for the tough upcoming fixtures, Allardyce must surely consider finally dropping Koch from the starting team.