What We Picked Up When Leeds Got Downed by Brentford 5-2

Leeds United suffered their largest defeat on Saturday against Brentford, falling defeat by a result of 5-2. Leeds fell behind for most of the match due to the outstanding play of Brentford striker, Ivan Toney.

Despite the execution of Toney, Leeds never gave up and was able to bring the score within one on two occasions.

The goals of Luis Sinisterra and Marc Roca brought life to a frantic Leeds squad, but Brentford was quick to respond. Ultimately, the Leeds defense was cracked and could not settle things down at the back.

Notes From The Match Between Brentford and Leeds United

• Sinisterra has turned into the best-scoring threat for the Whites. He has scored three goals in six matches and will now be seeing a lot more of the pitch. With Dan James at Fulham on a season-long loan, Sinisterra will surely be in the starting lineup barring injury. Leeds may have found the proper replacement for Raphinha also.
  So far this season, Sinisterra has shown that he can not only score goals but score from outside the box. This will be a deadly weapon when all the forwards are healthy and on the same page.

• Marc Roca seemed to be playing with more confidence with the ball. Roca has been a stable player in the midfield all season long. Roca controlled the ball more and was more willing to take chances from far outside the box. Roca had two dangerous shots in the match before putting in a chance from Luke Ayling in the box.

• Tyler Adams has been phenomenal as a defender this season but may need to contribute more offensively to take this team to another level. Adams rarely passes the ball forward and slows down the pace after challenging to turn the ball over. If Adams can continue this strong defensive play and contribute just a little more offensively, Leeds will challenge for Europe.

• Patrick Bamford came on at halftime and was involved in several scoring chances. Bamford has shown the rust of missing most of the prior campaign. Several chances in close were given to the striker and he was unable to put the ball on target.
  The positive of the last few appearances for him is that he was able to survive without an injury. This will be big to build off in the early part of the campaign, but for Leeds to remain a dangerous team, Bamford will need to be productive.

• The refereeing was extremely poor, and VAR did not help at all.
• Diego Llorente has proven that it is time for him to take a seat in the dugout against Forest. Llorente has had a difficult few games. He has had a problem turning over the ball and with an exclamation point, gave away the ball terribly for the fifth Brentford goal.