Luke Ayling defends Leeds United trio and makes squad demand in survival bid amid injuries - YEP 6/3/23
Luke Ayling has leapt to the defence of a particular Leeds United trio and outlined a crucial Whites squad demand in his side’s bid to beat the drop.
Lee Sobot
Javi Gracia’s fourth-bottom Whites fell to a 13th defeat of
the Premier League season in Saturday’s clash at Chelsea who recorded a 1-0
success as Leeds failed to score for the fourth time in their last five games
in league and cup.
The Whites have netted just once in their last 492 minutes
of football via Junior Firpo’s strike in last weekend’s hosting of Southampton
which secured a 1-0 victory and United’s first league win from their last 11
games.
Leeds have been without top scorer Rodrigo since the start
of February and Whites no 9 Patrick Bamford was also forced to miss Saturday’s
contest at Stamford Bridge having felt pain in his leg in training. Fellow
attacker Luis Sinisterra also remains out injured.
Ayling, though, says Leeds cannot just rely on their
remaining forwards such as Crysencio Summerville, Willy Gnonto and Jack
Harrison to bag the goals needed to keep Leeds up, insisting the responsibility
to get the Whites back on the goals trail lies with the squad as a whole.
In the absence of both Rodrigo and Bamford, new record
signing Georginio Rutter led the line at Chelsea, supported by Brenden
Aaronson, Summerville and Harrison until Gnonto and Mateo Joseph replaced
Rutter and Aaronson from the bench.
Leeds, though, served up just two shots on target and one of
them came from keeper Illan Meslier who had arguably United’s best attempt in
seeing a header saved as he joined the attack for a stoppage time corner.
Speaking after Saturday’s reverse at Chelsea, Ayling was
asked if it would be down to individual brilliance from players like
Summerville to get the goals needed to keep the Whites in the division.
"Players like him, players like Willy, our front
players have been doing really well,” said Ayling. "We have got five or
six injured players back home who are massive to us, they are lads with a lot
of experience so hopefully we are getting some of them back in the next few
weeks to the young players that we've got here. It's down to the whole squad.
"We can't just put everything on Cree, Willy, Jack and
players like that. It comes from the whole squad so we will be fighting every
minute of every game."
