Defeating the league leaders (as they were then) at the end of November felt very good, little did we know that would be a temporary successful blip on an otherwise dire season, as we gently tease League One by dipping just the tip into it, only to withdraw, lose a match and repeat the foreplay. Don’t worry, L1, with more nights like tonight we’ll be balls deep in you soon.

I didn’t wrap up in a thousand layers with hat, scarf and gloves expecting to be warm. Equally I didn’t do the ~170 mile round trip to Derby expecting a win. Sadly both expectations delivered in droves. I very nearly lost my feet to the cold (probably – I’m not a doctor) and Leeds were suitably beaten by the home side in a performance not dissimilar to the same fixture last season.

Team selection and performance

With Adryan still benched due to a virus and Sharp seemingly on the naughty step, it allowed Doukara and Austin into the side. I’d hoped that the physicality of these big, direct players would prevent Derby from dominating play. Alas, both were utterly useless. With Stephen Warnock ruined in the first few minutes, any hope I had of a big performance was gone before I’d even had a chance to tweet about the temperature. This gifted Berardi a place at left back, a position in which he’s evidently as comfortable at playing as he is a Labrador.

Silvestri doesn’t command his area and this creates mix-ups, indecision and discomfort at the back. The entire defense seemed reluctant to press, close down and challenge for the ball. Mowatt and Cook tried their hardest but were immediately closed down by 3 players – with their peers backing away from the ball in fear, it meant even with their best efforts, the youngsters were ineffectual.

Bianchi was anonymous, Antenucci was isolated but hardworking. Austin was exactly the player we now expect him to be; poor decision making, poor visibility and more “priest” than “beast”. Doukara offered us absolutely nothing – he didn’t even look overly bothered to be on the pitch.

Byram was the only real source of creativity and did well at times, but there’s no point trying to break past the left-back to play a cross if there’s no-one there able to receive it.

Were we really that bad?

Yes and no. The first goal was unlucky but rather inevitable. Derby were pressing and we were just about keeping them at arm’s length. The fact that Mowatt turned in one ball is fairly inconsequential, I maintain that they’d have done it themselves after a while anyway. This was evidenced by the second goal almost immediately after the break, which was a textbook set-piece and free header combination. 2-0. While objectively, being two goals down isn’t the end of the match, for the current Leeds side it is. Because of the the abject lack of creativity.

Creativity – or lack thereof

As I stood in polar conditions lamenting every poor pass, I was discussing the abject lack of creativity in this side with some fans around me. The Derby match could have lasted 4 or 5 hours and we still wouldn’t have recorded a meaningful attempt on goal. There wasn’t really anything I’d call a “genuine” chance, just a few pot-shots when we were vaguely within shooting range. And a trademark Rudy Austin free kick that was smashed into the stands but was probably recorded as an attempt.

This is specifically the problem with the current Leeds United team – or at least what I think is the biggest problem. We don’t create goal-scoring opportunities and the statistics absolutely back that up. At the time of writing Leeds have created just 211 chances this season, ranking us 22nd in the League in that regard.

Defensive frailties exist and my recent piece looking at the statistics in detail showed that we’re actually defending much like we did last season. It’s the midfield and attacking areas that aren’t making the grade. We can’t score if we don’t create chances.

What are we missing?

As always, width and quality. Playing a 4-4-2 (diamond) and expecting your RB/LB to provide all the width leaves you heavily exposed at the back, not forgetting that we don’t have a left-sided player of Byram’s quality (Aiden White, your time has come!). With Adryan absent, there was no real creativity on the pitch.

One of the concerns I have is the players that we’re rumoured to bring in during January are more central midfielders – while I agree we need more, this squad is crying out for pacey wide players and I still think we need some of those. We lack a natural leader on the pitch too, but I very much doubt one of those can be acquired in January, especially while we’re under a transfer embargo!

It’s now 1am and I’ve earned the warm relief of bed. This result at Derby wasn’t unexpected, but the fightless manner in which it played out is upsetting. This leaves us perilously close to the relegation spots, woefully out of form, under transfer embargo and needing an idea. And quick.

On the plus side, the fans tonight were outstanding as always – out-singing a full Pride Park for the entire match. Even if the stuff on the pitch was poor, we did ourselves proud in the stands. If only that counted for more, though. Goodnight. On and on. Blame Tom Lees.