Sky Sports pundit pinpoints key change which has transformed Leeds
David Prutton has highlighted Leeds United’s decision to add Gianni Vio to their coaching team as a key factor behind their recent upturn in form.
The Whites turned to Vio in November, with the Italian set-piece specialist having previously worked at Catania, Fiorentina, AC Milan, and Championship rivals Brentford.
Vio is known for his work on dead ball situations, and since his arrival the Elland Road club have looked much more threatening in those areas.
A brilliant free-kick from Pawel Cibicki, converted by Pontus Jansson, gave the Whites the three points against Norwich last time out.
And since Vio’s arrival, Leeds have not conceded one goal from a set-piece situation.
In terms of results, the Whites have lost just once with Vio on the staff, and have climbed up the table to now lie within one point of the promotion places.
Speaking in his column for the Yorkshire Evening Post, Prutton singled out the appointment of Vio as a turning point in the season for Leeds.
The Sky Sports pundit said: “Jansson’s goal came from a set-piece and I can understand Leeds and Thomas working on set-pieces with their new set-piece specialist Gianni Vio because, aside from formations and things, during an actual football match it is one of the only times where you can set people up. You can say: ‘I’m going to stand here and he’s going to stand there and the ball is hopefully going to be put into this position where we can move and do this with it or we are going to defend it like this.’
Prutton did however single out Cibicki for his delivery, and did admit that success of set-pieces does in the end come down to the players.
“But I think the ball in from Pawel Cibicki was superb and I can’t see how a set-piece specialist does that. You are relying on the quality of the ball into the box and the quality of header. You are also relying on whoever is picking Pontus up, not to pick him up or for the ball to not be blocked. I would be fascinated to see how the work with the set-piece specialist works out because there are so many variables from the man running up to kick the ball onwards,” he said.
Prutton then went on to talk about the advantages of bringing in a new coach, and the possible effect Vio has had on the Leeds squad.
“But maybe having a set-piece specialist gives a different voice on the training pitch, even if it just comes to doing that in training. At the end of a long training session, that different voice could snap them into the focus of the need to make sure that they need do it consistently and that then drip feeds into them to be second nature,” he said.
In other Leeds news, fans have been getting excited on Twitter over the touted addition of this top-flight defender.
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