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Leeds United’s hopes of securing a top-two finish in the Championship are diminishing following a disastrous Easter weekend that ended with a 2-0 defeat against Brentford at Griffin Park on Monday.
The Whites were in pole position to finish in the automatic promotion spots for much of the campaign, but their struggles in recent months came to a head following successive losses against Wigan Athletic and the Bees.
Three points behind Sheffield United with an inferior goal difference – and with the Blades hosting already-relegated Ipswich Town next – the play-offs are looking more and more likely for Marcelo Bielsa’s men.
Teenager Jack Clarke has been one of the biggest successes of the campaign for the Yorkshire outfit when it comes to young players impressing, having made a successful breakthrough into the first team.
That said, he hasn’t quite looked the same since he collapsed on the substitutes’ bench against Middlesbrough earlier in 2019, and he was ineffectual after replacing Pontus Jansson in the 64th minute in the capital as the visitors chased the game.
One Leeds supporter on the WACCOE forum believes the 18-year-old’s confidence is clearly shot, and he would put him back in the U23 squad for the remainder of the campaign.
Are they right?
They may well be.
Clarke is clearly struggling with the pressure of being asked to come on in games and make a positive impact, and that is of course much harder to do in a team that isn’t playing with the same swagger they once were.
The talented youngster also has a lot of work to do to improve his own game, as he is quite easy to defend against as things stand because he is so one-footed.
A spell back in the U23s and out of the limelight may well just be what he needs to rediscover some form, in order to come back stronger and make an impact for the first team in the future.
