Becchio blast defeats Boro
Yorkshire Evening Post 24/12/12
By Phil Hay
Apocryphal or not, it became one of John Lennon’s most famous quotes. Was Ringo Starr the best drummer in the world? “He’s not even the best drummer in The Beatles.”
There is something of Starr about Luciano Becchio. In a debate about the best forward in the Championship, some would argue that there are better forwards at Leeds United. But Championship football is all Leeds could aspire to next season were it not for Becchio’s enduring class.
Whatever his faults – and even his manager sees a few – the Argentinian has strayed into indispensable territory. Neil Warnock can take or leave many of his performances but United’s boss accepts that the game would be up without his 17 goals. It might yet be up if Leeds rely on Becchio in the second half of this season as heavily as they have in the first.
Warnock made that point to United’s new owner when he met with representatives of GFH Capital after the completion of their takeover on Friday.
It is precisely because of the threat of a deterioration in Becchio’s strikerate or fitness that Leeds will bid for a new forward when the transfer window opens next month, regardless of their existing squad or the resumption of Davide Somma’s career.
“We’ve got to try,” Warnock said. “If anything happened to Becchio – and I touch wood when I say this – where would we go from there?”
The answer to that is back down the Championship, unless their other strikers are about to flourish. Becchio was not responsible for the better football seen at Elland Road on Saturday but his two goals bought a tight win over Middlesbrough and gave Leeds the pleasure of a merry Christmas. A hard-done-to Tony Mowbray looked on with quiet envy.
Boro have suffered at Becchio’s hands before and five goals in four games against the Teesside club is nemesis’ trend. He was the least impressive of the two centre-forwards at Elland Road, outplayed by Lukas Jutkiewicz, but Jutkiewicz was loose when it mattered and Boro paid heavily. Becchio, in contrast, saw three chances and came within one save of a hat-trick.
Twenty three games into the Championship season, the 28-year-old is three goals short of his highest tally for Leeds in a single term. He has scored almost half of all their league goals.
“I bet in a third of his games he’s not even played that well,” Warnock said. “He’s had poor games so imagine if he got some consistency going. I keep telling him that.
“I know that when he plays well we play well but there are days like Derby (United’s defeat at Pride Park on December 8) when if you look at the metres he covers, it’s an embarrassment.
“The two strikers at Derby, Ross McCormack and Luciano, were very poor. The statistics showed that one of Derby’s lads was doing more than those two put together. That can’t happen.
“We’ve got to be able to change things when he’s not up to it because he won’t always be up to it.
“In most areas we’re covered but there are areas where we need competition. Strikers is one of them.”
On the evidence of Saturday, there is more call for changes to Warnock’s defence or the areas of his team which are compromising their stability.
Middlesbrough succumbed to Becchio’s 45th and 73rd-minute goals but Jutkiewicz, who opened the scoring on the half-hour, had two prime opportunities to strike again in the second half, driving one shot into the side-netting and another again a post.
Further chances materialised as Boro grew desperate, with substitute Jason Pearce meeting an improvised finish from a prostrate Jonathan Woodgate on United’s goalline and the bizarrely enigmatic Marvin Emnes hooking an overhead shot inches wide of Paddy Kenny’s right-hand post on 89 minutes. “We shaded it,” claimed Warnock afterwards, knowing full well that the margin had been fine.
It was, regardless, a significant result on the first weekend of GFH Capital’s ownership.
The response to Friday’s takeover was an attendance of more than 25,000, up 6,000 on the crowd seen at United’s win over Ipswich Town seven days earlier.
The last Saturday before Christmas is notrious for poor turn-outs but Elland Road felt alive.
A fifth win from six league games positioned Leeds on the verge of the play-off zone, a target which Warnock considered unattainable a month ago.
“There’s been a feelgood factor for a few weeks now,” he said. “The new owners can’t wait to get going.
“People talk about consolidation but I’ve already said to them ‘let’s not waste opportunities.’ I don’t want to consolidate anything. We’ve got to be there or thereabouts this season.”
Boro are as likely to be in that vicinity, to judge by their performance in Leeds. The finesse in Mowbray’s side contrasted with the relentless energy which saw United home and they rued the timing of Becchio’s first goal, scored in the last minute of the first half.
Woodgate, the former Leeds defender, said: “We’re a good team and we’re going to go up. All the lads think that. People say we’re doing well but I think we should be top. Concentration let us down today and that isn’t good enough.”
Jutkiewicz drew first blood after 29 minutes when a mislaid pass from El-Hadji Diouf allowed Emnes to put the forward clean through.
Kenny blocked Jutkiewicz’s first shot with his legs but was beaten at the second attempt when the ball deflected off the foot of Alan Tate a yard in front of him.
Jerome Thomas wasted an immediate chance to equalise, dragging Kenny’s long clearance wide as Diouf appeared at the far post screaming for a tap-in, and a brilliant save from Jason Steele kept out a goalbound header from Sam Byram but Leeds toiled. Michael Tonge looked fatigued and an ill Paul Green struggled to get involved.
The half was petering out when weak headers from Seb Hines and Richard Smallwood presented Becchio with a bouncing ball which the striker volleyed into the net with the aid of both posts.
“That was hardly even a half-chance,” said Warnock in admiration.
Encouraged by it, and helped by Warnock’s decision to replace Green with Aidan White, United approached the second half with more more direction and more aggression. Steele tipped a Becchio header inches over his crossbar on 72 minutes but was unable to react when the striker met the resulting corner with a finish which struck Woodgate and flew into the net.
Boro gathered themselves and dispensed with aution, attacking at will. Grant Leadbitter lashed a volley narrowly wide and both Woodgate and Emnes thought they had scored.
Steele himself should have done so when he advanced for the final corner of the game and failed to connect with a free header.
“To go a goal down and beat a team as good as Middlesbrough is a hell of a result,” Warnock said. “To use the old cliche, I’m only looking at the next game. But I think the Champioship’s wide open.”
By Phil Hay
Apocryphal or not, it became one of John Lennon’s most famous quotes. Was Ringo Starr the best drummer in the world? “He’s not even the best drummer in The Beatles.”
There is something of Starr about Luciano Becchio. In a debate about the best forward in the Championship, some would argue that there are better forwards at Leeds United. But Championship football is all Leeds could aspire to next season were it not for Becchio’s enduring class.
Whatever his faults – and even his manager sees a few – the Argentinian has strayed into indispensable territory. Neil Warnock can take or leave many of his performances but United’s boss accepts that the game would be up without his 17 goals. It might yet be up if Leeds rely on Becchio in the second half of this season as heavily as they have in the first.
Warnock made that point to United’s new owner when he met with representatives of GFH Capital after the completion of their takeover on Friday.
It is precisely because of the threat of a deterioration in Becchio’s strikerate or fitness that Leeds will bid for a new forward when the transfer window opens next month, regardless of their existing squad or the resumption of Davide Somma’s career.
“We’ve got to try,” Warnock said. “If anything happened to Becchio – and I touch wood when I say this – where would we go from there?”
The answer to that is back down the Championship, unless their other strikers are about to flourish. Becchio was not responsible for the better football seen at Elland Road on Saturday but his two goals bought a tight win over Middlesbrough and gave Leeds the pleasure of a merry Christmas. A hard-done-to Tony Mowbray looked on with quiet envy.
Boro have suffered at Becchio’s hands before and five goals in four games against the Teesside club is nemesis’ trend. He was the least impressive of the two centre-forwards at Elland Road, outplayed by Lukas Jutkiewicz, but Jutkiewicz was loose when it mattered and Boro paid heavily. Becchio, in contrast, saw three chances and came within one save of a hat-trick.
Twenty three games into the Championship season, the 28-year-old is three goals short of his highest tally for Leeds in a single term. He has scored almost half of all their league goals.
“I bet in a third of his games he’s not even played that well,” Warnock said. “He’s had poor games so imagine if he got some consistency going. I keep telling him that.
“I know that when he plays well we play well but there are days like Derby (United’s defeat at Pride Park on December 8) when if you look at the metres he covers, it’s an embarrassment.
“The two strikers at Derby, Ross McCormack and Luciano, were very poor. The statistics showed that one of Derby’s lads was doing more than those two put together. That can’t happen.
“We’ve got to be able to change things when he’s not up to it because he won’t always be up to it.
“In most areas we’re covered but there are areas where we need competition. Strikers is one of them.”
On the evidence of Saturday, there is more call for changes to Warnock’s defence or the areas of his team which are compromising their stability.
Middlesbrough succumbed to Becchio’s 45th and 73rd-minute goals but Jutkiewicz, who opened the scoring on the half-hour, had two prime opportunities to strike again in the second half, driving one shot into the side-netting and another again a post.
Further chances materialised as Boro grew desperate, with substitute Jason Pearce meeting an improvised finish from a prostrate Jonathan Woodgate on United’s goalline and the bizarrely enigmatic Marvin Emnes hooking an overhead shot inches wide of Paddy Kenny’s right-hand post on 89 minutes. “We shaded it,” claimed Warnock afterwards, knowing full well that the margin had been fine.
It was, regardless, a significant result on the first weekend of GFH Capital’s ownership.
The response to Friday’s takeover was an attendance of more than 25,000, up 6,000 on the crowd seen at United’s win over Ipswich Town seven days earlier.
The last Saturday before Christmas is notrious for poor turn-outs but Elland Road felt alive.
A fifth win from six league games positioned Leeds on the verge of the play-off zone, a target which Warnock considered unattainable a month ago.
“There’s been a feelgood factor for a few weeks now,” he said. “The new owners can’t wait to get going.
“People talk about consolidation but I’ve already said to them ‘let’s not waste opportunities.’ I don’t want to consolidate anything. We’ve got to be there or thereabouts this season.”
Boro are as likely to be in that vicinity, to judge by their performance in Leeds. The finesse in Mowbray’s side contrasted with the relentless energy which saw United home and they rued the timing of Becchio’s first goal, scored in the last minute of the first half.
Woodgate, the former Leeds defender, said: “We’re a good team and we’re going to go up. All the lads think that. People say we’re doing well but I think we should be top. Concentration let us down today and that isn’t good enough.”
Jutkiewicz drew first blood after 29 minutes when a mislaid pass from El-Hadji Diouf allowed Emnes to put the forward clean through.
Kenny blocked Jutkiewicz’s first shot with his legs but was beaten at the second attempt when the ball deflected off the foot of Alan Tate a yard in front of him.
Jerome Thomas wasted an immediate chance to equalise, dragging Kenny’s long clearance wide as Diouf appeared at the far post screaming for a tap-in, and a brilliant save from Jason Steele kept out a goalbound header from Sam Byram but Leeds toiled. Michael Tonge looked fatigued and an ill Paul Green struggled to get involved.
The half was petering out when weak headers from Seb Hines and Richard Smallwood presented Becchio with a bouncing ball which the striker volleyed into the net with the aid of both posts.
“That was hardly even a half-chance,” said Warnock in admiration.
Encouraged by it, and helped by Warnock’s decision to replace Green with Aidan White, United approached the second half with more more direction and more aggression. Steele tipped a Becchio header inches over his crossbar on 72 minutes but was unable to react when the striker met the resulting corner with a finish which struck Woodgate and flew into the net.
Boro gathered themselves and dispensed with aution, attacking at will. Grant Leadbitter lashed a volley narrowly wide and both Woodgate and Emnes thought they had scored.
Steele himself should have done so when he advanced for the final corner of the game and failed to connect with a free header.
“To go a goal down and beat a team as good as Middlesbrough is a hell of a result,” Warnock said. “To use the old cliche, I’m only looking at the next game. But I think the Champioship’s wide open.”
