Leeds Relegation Fear

Sam Allardyce, manager of Leeds, fears it will be a “big ask” to secure Premier League survival, especially if injured attackers Patrick Bamford and Rodrigo are not fit for the final game against Tottenham. After three seasons in the top flight, Leeds will be relegated to the Championship if they fail to beat Spurs. Even that may not be enough if Everton win their final game against Bournemouth or Leicester pick up four points from their last two matches. Former Manchester City defender Micah Richards said on Sky Sports: “It looks pretty bad for Leeds now. It is devastating for them.” Full-back Luke Ayling insists Leeds still have a “slim” chance of staying up, but Allardyce believes it depends on the availability of Bamford and Rodrigo. He said: “If both are missing, it is a big ask. Fact.” Allardyce concluded his post-match news conference by crossing his fingers and hoping any post-season discussions with the Leeds hierarchy would be with the Elland Road club still in the Premier League. Ayling knows the predicament Leeds are in but remains optimistic. He said: “There is still a tiny bit of hope. We have to grab on to that.” The problem for Leeds came in Allardyce’s assessment of what went wrong against West Ham. Despite taking the lead, they failed to capitalise on their good start and were eventually outplayed by the Hammers. Allardyce said: “Our quality at both ends is what we lack, to defend better and create more opportunities.” He believes he knows how to put it right but whether he gets asked is another matter entirely.