Jack Harrison, 24, has been a regular for Leeds United this Premier League season, but as yet, hasn’t contributed a goal or an assist this term. His form is akin to that of many in the Leeds squad. After 11 games, the Whites have won just twice, with five draws and four defeats. Last season showed what the former Manchester City man is all about with Leeds. Eight goals and eight assists saw Harrison make a big contribution to the cause at Elland Road.
The 24-year-old has a lot of potential, and he will more than likely come good when the rest of the team does. At this point last season, business was looking good. A goal and two assists in the opening seven games helped Leeds to three wins and a draw in their return to the top flight, and Harrison was on his way to becoming an undroppable player by the end of the campaign.
One thing that could spark his return to his best is Patrick Bamford coming back into the side, with an ankle injury ruling him out of the last six league matches. Although the date of Bamford’s return is yet unclear, it is apparent that Harrison misses the presence of the 28-year-old in the area when he picks up the ball on the left-hand side. The strength of Harrison’s game lies in being able to work half a yard of space beyond his full-back before whipping in an early ball for Bamford to latch onto.
Let’s take a look at his stats for this season as well as last season:
Heatmap 2020-21 season:
The heatmap for Jack Harrison indicates that he played in a much higher position in the last season and was more of a threat to the opposition defenses.
Heatmap 2021-22 season:
The heatmap for this season indicates Harrison has been present more near the halfway line and has had to track back a lot of times, as Leeds have failed to get the ball into the opposition half.
Pass map 2020-21 season:
The above visual shows us the pass map for Harrison in the first 11 gameweeks of the 2020-21 Premier League season. Harrison had more passes into the penalty area, which generated a high xT and made it easier for the players in the penalty area to convert.
Pass map 2021-22 season:
This season he has failed to make these passes into the penalty area and only a few passes have had a high xT. Last season Harrison was frequently seen cutting into the box and taking attempts at the goal, linking with Alioski in quick one-two passes, but his connection with the new left-back, Firpo, hasn’t been as effective, which is why Harrison has struggled this season. He hasn’t been attempting much to enter the opponents’ box when cutting in from the wing in the final third.
Attacking stats for 2020-21 season:
The attacking and creativity stats for Harrison were much better than the median league value last season, as he was very effective with the attacking actions he attempted. He attempted 11.08 attacking actions per 90 minutes and was able to complete 64% of these attempts.
Attacking stats for 2021-22 season:
This season, the attacking metrics for Harrison have been average, almost equal to the median league value. He has been able to complete only 25% of the 11.77 attacking actions he has attempted per 90 minutes. Last season Harrison had 45.45% of his shots on target, whereas this season, he has only had 22.22% of his shots on target. He has failed to create the impact that he did last season.
