The Tarik Muharemovic heading threat is fast becoming one of the more interesting stories of Leeds United’s season, and the centre-half has now explained where it comes from. Speaking to leedsunited.com after collecting his second successive Hero of the Month award, the 23-year-old credited his father, said the Premier League tempo has been a pleasant shock, and described the short chat with Dominic Calvert-Lewin that came just before the equaliser against Manchester United.
Tarik Muharemovic heading: the numbers and the story
The club’s website quotes data from Gradient Sports that ranks Muharemovic third in the Premier League for the skill of heading at goal, behind only Erling Haaland and Thierno Barry. Among centre-halves he is top, with six headers sent goalwards and five successful aerial duels that led to a Leeds shot. He told the club he learned the habit from his dad, who was always the best at heading among his family and friends. “So every time we trained together, it was him saying, ‘You have to be better with the headers,'” he said.
Ethan Ampadu’s long throws and Anton Stach’s set-piece deliveries have given him plenty of chances, and in the 1-1 draw with United his header set up Calvert-Lewin’s equaliser. Muharemovic said the pair’s conversation on camera before the corner was not about the set piece at all. “He said to look up when I have the ball to play a chip ball to him,” he said, before adding that he then saw Stach already taking the corner and had to go.
Muharemovic rises to win a header against Manchester United. Photo: Leeds United (leedsunited.com).
Life in the Premier League and the Leeds back line
He described the move from Italy as a change of style as much as a change of league. “In Italy it’s more tactical football,” he said. “Here I become a striker, but I like it.” The tempo, he added, is what he noticed first: “In every game, every 20 seconds there’s a chance.” He called Sunday’s atmosphere at Elland Road the best he has seen so far, and said his father, who goes to every away game, loved it too.
The Tarik Muharemovic heading story has another side: the defender also gave the club his one-word verdicts on the players around him. James Justin is “a train”, Nico Elvedi is “the brain” of the defence, Joe Rodon is “flash” and Jaka Bijol is “a tank”. Leeds have the third-best goals-against record in the Premier League after seven games, the website notes, so the back line is doing its job. For more on the team, read our report on the Manchester United draw, our look at Ethan Ampadu’s 100th game as captain and the Sunderland preview.
Source: Leeds United (Graham Smyth). Image: Leeds United.
Comment of the Month: paid subscribers vote monthly, and the best comment wins a £20 store voucher. See the rules