Barnsley's tough start to the 2019/20 campaign continued yesterday as they suffered a 2-0 defeat at the hands of their Yorkshire rivals Leeds United.

Despite entering the fixture on a run of seven games without a victory in all competitions, the Tykes made an encouraging start at Oakwell as Mallik Wilks and Luke Thomas saw their efforts saved by Whites goalkeeper Kiko Casilla.

Although Leeds were unfortunate to hit the woodwork on the stroke of half-time, Barnsley's excellent use of the counter-attack ultimately made them a major threat.

Yet after missing further opportunities to take the lead, the Tykes were eventually undone by a Kalvin Phillips set-piece in the 82nd minute as the midfielder picked out Eddie Nketiah who duly slotted past Bradley Collins.

The Whites then sealed all three points as Mateusz Klich scored from the spot after Aapo Halme brought down Nketiah in the penalty area.

With the dust having now settled from this clash, we have set out three things we clearly learnt about Barnsley in their defeat to Leeds.

Check them out below...

They have to be more clinical in-front of goal

Whilst Barnsley managed to create a number of fantastic opportunities against Leeds, manager Daniel Stendel will understandably be concerned about his side's failure to score.

Although Casilla produced a stunning performance for the Whites, the likes of Wilks and Mads Juel Andersen really should have found the back of the net on Sunday.

If the Tykes are to thrive in the Championship, they have to make considerable improvements to this particular facet of their game.

Wilks could be key to their survival hopes

Although he was unable to score against his former side at the weekend, Wilks proved to be a menace for Barnsley throughout the clash.

An extremely talented player, the winger will be hoping to push on this year in the Championship for the Tykes after producing no fewer than 28 goal contributions whilst on loan at Doncaster Rovers last season.

If he does indeed take the second-tier by storm over the coming months, Wilks could play a major role in preventing Barnsley from being relegated to League One next May.

They need to improve defensively

Following the summer departures of Ethan Pinnock and Liam Lindsay, Barnsley have struggled defensively with the likes of Halme and Andersen failing to deliver the goods so far.

Having conceded 15 goals in all competitions this season, the Tykes need to find a solution to this particular issue as soon as possible as a failure to do so could be disastrous.

Stendel could consider altering his formation as a more defensive set-up could help Barnsley overcome their recent troubles.