Lee Blackett: Leeds needs two wins badly
Leeds winger Lee Blackett says the club must target two wins from the next two matches
to correct the team's bad start to the season.
Leeds is currently bottom of the Premiership table. The side has looked off the pace and has managed only a single point during the first three matches. This has to change if Leeds wants to pull away from
the threat of relegation.
The side has leaked 80 points so far this season while scoring only 50. This is a ratio that Blackett says must improve over Leeds' next two games against Leicester and London Irish.
Blackett added: "Leicester lost to Wasps and that gives us hope going to Welford Road and we fully believe we can win there. And who says we can't do to Irish what we did there last season? But if we don't
turn it around soon we will find ourselves in the exact same position where we need two or three wins just to get off the bottom of the table."
The importance of a win for Leeds is huge because it would have a beneficial effect on the club. However, targeting wins is dangerous and Leeds' next two opponents are huge clubs.
Importance of a win
Leeds needs to win a game to get some belief and confidence back into the team. The longer the club goes without a win the bigger chance there is that the club will stay at the foot of the table all season.
Leeds' defence is not the worst in the Premiership. Leicester and Wasps have both conceded more points. This suggests that Leeds has been unlucky in some tight games and sooner or later this luck will
turn. Leeds must stay upbeat.
The club has to win a game to stop other sides targeting the team. Leeds will be seen as a fixture that other sides can win. The club will have to endure greater pressure and intensity because Leeds will
be seen as easy points.
Blackett said: "We always knew these first five games were going to be very tough. We targeted two wins from these first five games. Who says we can't still do that? If we want to be a top six side then
maybe we needed to be winning more than two of the first five games, but with it being such a tough start two was realistic."
Dangerous tactics
Targeting wins is a naive and dangerous tactic because it quickly put players and coaches at a club onto the back foot. Leeds has a plan but if this goes wrong then the club will be searching for ideas
and answers in the middle of a season.
The next two opponents for the club couldn't be any tougher. Leicester is fancied to retain the Premiership title while London Irish is enjoying second place in the table. These two clubs will not like
Leeds targeting wins against them.
Betting advice
Be very wary of placing any pre-match bets on Leeds over the next two games. The best approach is to bet in play because this will show whether Leeds has a great or poor chance of beating Leicester and
London Irish.
Focus on bets on individuals. The kicker in the Leeds team will always get a few chances to score during a match even if the rest of the team isn't playing well. This is a much safer option than backing
someone like Blackett to score a few tries out on the wing.
Leeds should be safe by next spring. However, the odds will lengthen on the side staying up the more games that are played without a win.
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