‘It’s Catch 22’ – Sky Sports pundit makes fascinating claim about form of Leeds talisman
By Guy Giles
Sky Sports pundit and former Leeds midfielder David Prutton has claimed that Leeds defender Pontus Jansson’s poor form this season may be down to his improved disciplinary record.
Speaking in his column for the Yorkshire Evening Post, Prutton highlighted Jansson’s lack of yellow cards this season as a potential reason for his dip in form, and suggested that the Swede may have lost the edge that made him so revered among Leeds faithful.
Jansson was booked a massive 15 times last season, leading to him being suspended for several games.
This season, however, Jansson has an impeccable disciplinary record, after sitting out the first game through suspension.
But this has been accompanied by a startling dip in quality, culminating in him being dropped by manager Thomas Cristiansen for Leeds’ 2-1 defeat to Sheffield United.
Prutton highlighted this in his column: “The club seemed to thrive off his energy and his edge and when you look at him now, that’s almost what’s missing.
“It’s Catch 22 because last season people were criticising the fact that his yellow cards were taking him out of the team through suspension.
“He’s cut out the bookings this season but dropped out of the team anyway.”
Jansson was among the first to recognise his poor play this season, and he published an Instagram post acknowledging the improvements he must make if Leeds are to turn their season around.
Prutton argued that this public admission, while admirable, was the nail in the coffin when it came to his selection against the Blades.
“I admire the honesty because there’s a culture in football of no finger-pointing these days, even though finger-pointing is sometimes needed, but maybe Jansson sowed the seed in Christiansen’s mind.
“Maybe Christiansen felt like it was the right time to rely on somebody else,” he said.
Prutton also praised Christiansen for the bold decision to drop Jansson, comparing it to Jurgen Klopp’s decision to haul Dejan Lovren off the pitch after half an hour against Spurs.
Despite Jansson’s and Leeds recent troubles, Prutton expects the Swede to be back to his combative best very soon.
In other Leeds United news, this report reveals who is the future of their struggling attack.
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