Former Championship star Sam Parkin has stressed that Leeds United’s loss of form is more alarming than Southampton’s ahead of the playoffs.
Leeds need a minor miracle on the final day to get an automatic promotion in the Championship and are likely to be involved in the playoffs with three other teams.
The Whites are set to become the first team to not get automatic promotion with 90 or more points, but Parkin feels going into the playoffs, the Whites do not look like the best of the rest anymore.
He acknowledged Southampton’s poor form too but he feels it is understandable as the Saints lost steam in the race to get into the top two as they have been guaranteed a place in the playoffs for a while.
The former Championship star stressed that Leeds’ form is more alarming as their otherwise rock-solid defence is now leaking goals and they conceded two goals from set-pieces against a QPR side who have been woeful with their dead balls all season.
Parkin said on the What The EFL Podcast: “I am not so sure they [Leeds] are [going to be the best team in the playoffs] at the moment.
“Southampton have had an incredible run this season, they have got an incredible squad with a real depth.
“I suppose it’s slightly more understandable that there has been a drop off in results and their performances given they are cemented for the playoffs but are not going to run to have the automatic.
“We shouldn’t be too surprised that they lost three games on the spin.
“For Leeds, that is incredibly worrying.
“For a defence that has been so solid and racking up the clean sheets throughout the campaign, to see them conceding seven goals, to see the weak spots from dead balls and set-pieces.
“QPR have been woeful from free-kicks and corner kicks but to score from two of those so comfortably is a real concern for them.”
Leeds and Southampton could end up only meeting each other in the playoff final this season, meaning each would have a semi-final to navigate first.
