Leeds United’s Elland Road Crowd Can Be Burden At Times Feels Ex-EFL Star | OneFootball

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Former EFL star Adrian Clarke is of the view that the Elland Road crowd can be a blessing for Leeds United, but in the big games it can be a burden for the players as well.

Leeds have been brilliant this season, but they have failed to get results in the last two games against West Bromwich Albion and Portsmouth, which have helped Sheffield United and Burnley to close the gap on them.

The Whites are still sitting at the top of the league table despite being on the same points with Sheffield United with the help of goal differences, but with ten games remaining, they will need to be at their best to secure automatic promotion.

Clarke pointed out that Leeds will be desperate to avoid the playoffs due to their past experiences and believes that the Whites stars will have to show that they are better at handling the pressure than last year’s group, who missed out on automatic promotion.

He also pointed out that the Elland Road crowd gives a massive advantage to the Yorkshire outfit but can be a burden when going into pressure games.

“We know Leeds have hated being in the playoffs, so they will be desperate to finish in the top two; they should still finish in the top two”, Clarke said on EFL All Access (7:35).

“They are an excellent team, but that crowd at Elland Road is a huge advantage for most of the season, but in big games where the pressure is really on and things are not going your way, it can also be a burden.

“You have to have a really strong character to play for Leeds United; they will be able to take pressure and we are going to find out now in the last ten games whether this group of Leeds players can handle the pressure better than last year’s group and last year’s group did crumble.”

Last season, Daniel Farke’s side missed out on automatic promotion despite looking well placed for a top two finish and needed to go through the playoffs, where they ultimately lost in the final to Southampton.

While Leeds would go into the playoffs as favourites if they ultimately do not finish in the top two this season, there may be concerns that the psychological aspect, with the club not having flourished in the end of season lottery, could play a part.