Opposition View: Huddersfield Town
- Journalist Blake Welton looks at Huddersfield Town's strengths and weaknesses
- The Terriers welcome Leicester City to John Smith's Stadium on Saturday (3pm kick-off)
- Welton says Huddersfield have proven their critics wrong already in the Premier League this season
- However, David Wagner's men do have weaknesses, Welton reveals
Welton, a sports reporter for the Huddersfield Examiner, has watched on as David Wagner’s men proceeded to prove their critics wrong with an impressive start to their first Premier League season.
The Foxes travel to John Smith’s Stadium seeking their first away points of the new campaign and Craig Shakespeare’s side know they will have to be at the top of their game to do so.
“Expectations have changed from an outsider’s view after their start to this season,” Welton told LCFC Radio this week. “Everyone outside of the club wrote them off as favourites for relegation.
“But anyone connected with the club knows what they’re all about and were quietly confident they could do the business and not just make up the numbers in the Premier League.
“They play a high-octane, high-pressing game. They press from the front, not giving the back four any time on the ball... it’s what Wagner calls the ‘Terrier mentality’.
“The small dog yapping away at the bigger dog, as he says, and not giving them any time. Their big strength is the sum of all parts rather than individuals.”
However, as West Ham United proved on Monday evening, Wagner’s men can be beaten and Welton says their key weakness is one which has troubled them in the past – a lack of cutting edge.
“I’d say their weakness is perhaps not taking chances in the final third,” he added. “It has been addressed in the summer but they have struggled to take their chances.
“Perhaps, we’ve seen that manifest itself again this season but it’s still early doors. They probably still need more natural wing players on either side.
“But, as I’ve said, it’s all going well so far.”
Matchday Live starts on LCFC Radio from 2pm on Saturday with Sam Putnam, Chris Alcock and Gerry Taggart.