Leeds United (Home) Saturday 28 November

[Matt]

Just now, Shukes said:

I swore at the tv when he did that. Ruined the excellent defending he had just done.

I burst out laughing 

[Matt]

Just now, milesey05 said:

Lots to drink but why was that young new LB discarded tonight?

looked sharp in cup.

can’t spell his name and auto correct just had me raging!! 

Just call him Niels, that’s what I’m doing!

[Btay]

I think we should have Iwobi on the right to start. It limited him going forward and we only saw him wide right for about 10 minutes before being replaced.

 

We had our chances though. Allan is immense, what a player. He deserves more from the others.

[Kev627]

...and the downward spiral continues! 

[milesey05]

6 minutes ago, Matt said:

Just call him Niels, that’s what I’m doing!

Was he injured Matt? 

[Matt]

Just now, milesey05 said:

Was he injured Matt? 

Dunno but he didn’t make the bench. 

[milesey05]

Let’s be honest.

did anyone feel confident getting 3 points with the starting XI?

Players playing out of position and we should have been 1 down with in 5 minutes or 2 mins.

we are looking like a mid to bottom half team again.

 

[Hafnia]

1 hour ago, markjazzbassist said:

FFS godfrey was doing his best james mccarthy impression

What happened? Did he break his leg covering a team mate's ineptitude???

[Hafnia]

52 minutes ago, markjazzbassist said:

gomes has worked hard since he's come in, been good on the ball too

 Made one forward pass.  Other than that he's deffo mastered the art of looking busy doing nothing

[Bailey]

Well that was disappointing. I said it before the game that if you want to beat Leeds you have to match their work rate. They will run, run and run and we couldn't and didn't deal with it. If I am honest, it didn't look like we did any prep work to deal with the threats they caused because they worked the same passes and positions time and time again. 

The 5 at the back didn't work. They were constantly caught out and so often they were scrambling.

Pickford was indecisive but he made at least 3 great saves to stop it from being an embarrassment.

Iwobi should never be played as a left back again. He did what he could but he got caught out regularly. On the ball he always came inside and it meant we had no width on the left. Davies was just as bad. Out of position, scrambling to make challenges, dreadful passing. 

The back three were mixed. Keane was the best of the lot. Holgate was chancey at times. Early in the game he was getting caught out regularly too high up the pitch but the credit to him was that he made up for it by getting back in the knick of time. Other days he would have been horribly exposed. Godfrey was far too passive IMO. I watched him let Bamford get the ball down under no pressure when he should have got to the ball first. He should have never have let the shot off for the goal either. He hesitated when he needed to close and then when he had the chance to make amends he let the shot go between his legs. He should have brought out the Mina long block! 

The midfield two were a mixed bag. Allan was fantastic. He looked like the only player who could have switched into that Leeds side and not been out of place. His use of the ball was excellent and he drove us forward with his runs. Doucoure started brightly. He was getting in some good positions and making really intelligent runs but whenever the ball was at his feet he seemed to give it away. They were both horribly exposed by the lack of tracking from the two wide men. 

James had his moments. The quality for the offside goal was genius but you have to be disappointed with his overall display. Alioski, who must be up there as one of the worst left backs in the league, ran off him time and time again. It wasnt much better on the otherside either. Richalison had some ok attempts but his end product was non existent. Both him and James were well below the quality you expect from them and they needed to show up. 

It was also a bit of a mixed bag from DCL. He didn't get a lot of help from his teammates but whenever he did get involved the quality was poor. 

The subs were questionable as well. What was Gomes going to do? If Iwobi wasn't getting forward, why bring on Delph because we know Delph isn't a good defender, he just has a left foot. I'm also not sure what Bernard was expected to achieve? 

There also has to be some questions asked of our pre-season planning. I have said it so many times in the past that your back ups need to be good enough to play a period of games. Its pretty clear, assuming they are both fit, that Kenny and Nkounkou aren't deemed to be good enough. If that is the case, they shouldn't be either at the club (Kenny) or in the first team squad (Niels). There is no way we should be shoe Horning crap midfielders, average centre backs or dodgy wingers into positions they clearly aren't capable of playing at this level. 

As for Leeds, imagine how good they would be if they could get their hands on higher quality players. Bielsa is a brilliant manager and even the signings he has made have done really well.

[Matt]

28 minutes ago, Hafnia said:

 Made one forward pass.  Other than that he's deffo mastered the art of looking busy doing nothing

He made quite a few forward balls, dribbles and tackles. Didn’t set the world alight but was clearly there to put a little more structure which meant showing for the ball and being safe with it. Nowhere near poor. 

[Hafnia]

3 minutes ago, Matt said:

He made quite a few forward balls, dribbles and tackles. Didn’t set the world alight but was clearly there to put a little more structure which meant showing for the ball and being safe with it. Nowhere near poor. 

Matt... He was absolutely garbage. Sorry.  He came on and managed to make a midfielder who had already covered 10k look like he was a fresh as a daisy.  

Picked up balls from defenders and passed straight back, literally offers us nothing.  Had a free shot on from 20 yards and passed out wide.  

Sorry. He looks an absolute shadow of the player he could be. 

[Bailey]

1 minute ago, Hafnia said:

Matt... He was absolutely garbage. Sorry.  He came on and managed to make a midfielder who had already covered 10k look like he was a fresh as a daisy.  

Picked up balls from defenders and passed straight back, literally offers us nothing.  Had a free shot on from 20 yards and passed out wide.  

Sorry. He looks an absolute shadow of the player he could be. 

He looked like he hadn't played for 12 months. His touch was poor, the weight of his passing was well off. He looked completely unprepared to come on.

[Hafnia]

Just now, Bailey said:

He looked like he hadn't played for 12 months. His touch was poor, the weight of his passing was well off. He looked completely unprepared to come on.

I really want him to succeed but I honestly don't think his heart is in the game anymore 

I understand his time at Barca mentally scarred him and I think the injury on top of that has him playing low risk football physically and tactically. 

I agree, he looked sharper when he returned from his ankle dislocation. 

[Romey 1878]

What utter wank that was. Yeah, we had a few chances but Leeds were much the better side and deserved the three points. Their first win at Goodison in the PL.

The players and Carlo need to do a lot of reflecting before the Burnley game because they haven't been good enough.

[Bailey]

2 minutes ago, Hafnia said:

I really want him to succeed but I honestly don't think his heart is in the game anymore 

I understand his time at Barca mentally scarred him and I think the injury on top of that has him playing low risk football physically and tactically. 

I agree, he looked sharper when he returned from his ankle dislocation. 

I don't know what it is with him but I would never have him down as the type of player that I would want to bring off the bench. 

He can struggle getting up to the speed of a game at the best of times after a warm up, let alone after sitting on a bench for 70 minutes. 

[Hafnia]

1 minute ago, Bailey said:

I don't know what it is with him but I would never have him down as the type of player that I would want to bring off the bench. 

He can struggle getting up to the speed of a game at the best of times after a warm up, let alone after sitting on a bench for 70 minutes. 

I think he along with Siggy, Delph, Bernard, mina, need trimming off the wage bill and better younger hungry players bought in. 

[Romey 1878]

3 minutes ago, Hafnia said:

I think he along with Siggy, Delph, Bernard, mina, need trimming off the wage bill and better younger hungry players bought in. 

We're desperate for some pace in midfield. Holgate and Godfrey can move at the back, DCL can be nippy up front but we are so one-paced in midfield.

[London Blue]

1 hour ago, Hafnia said:

 Made one forward pass.  Other than that he's deffo mastered the art of looking busy doing nothing

Got the old hating glasses on again I see.

[Matt]

52 minutes ago, Hafnia said:

Matt... He was absolutely garbage. Sorry.  He came on and managed to make a midfielder who had already covered 10k look like he was a fresh as a daisy.  

Picked up balls from defenders and passed straight back, literally offers us nothing.  Had a free shot on from 20 yards and passed out wide.  

Sorry. He looks an absolute shadow of the player he could be. 

Well, stats and heat map say otherwise but let’s not let facts get in the way of directing justified frustration at 1 target. 

[Palfy]

58 minutes ago, Hafnia said:

I think he along with Siggy, Delph, Bernard, mina, need trimming off the wage bill and better younger hungry players bought in. 

I would keep Gomes and Bernard for another season, more because Gomes needs an opportunity to get himself in the place he was before his injury, and Bernard still has a lot to offer but as you said Gylfi Delph and Mina need to be moved on, I can’t see a future for them or us at Everton and for me Keane isn’t far behind them. 

[Bailey]

 

[Bailey]

Just seen a couple of the chances back on MoTD. 

The defending from Holgate for the big Bamford chance is shocking. Completely ball watching and leaves Bamford all alone on the edge of the 6 yard box.

Similarly, the disallowed goal from Bamford, Godfrey just watches him pull into the space in front of him. 

Plenty of other issues going on around them but it's a real concern. Godfrey in particular has not impressed me with his defensive instincts. 

 

[Romey 1878]

54 minutes ago, Bailey said:

 

I’ve got to laugh at anyone thinking moving to three at the back is going to make us more solid. It was only ever going to go the other way. 

[RuffRob]

Leeds have been doing this to Premiership teams all season, and the manager has been building their team over a number of seasons - and it showed. We are very much building - you just need to look at new 'pairings' we have all over the pitch.  You chuck in to that our injury problems over the past month - we are having to play even more new pairings. 

A back three of Godfrey, Keane, Holgate  - how unfamiliar are these three playing together as a unit? 

Left side - Iwobi wingback with ahead Richarlison - first time

Right side - Davies wingback with Rodrigues ahead of him - first time

A midfield of 4 players put together for the first time only a few months ago. None had ever played together before the kick off this season.

at the moment we are playing a unfamiliar back line, left side and right side all jelled by a relatively new midfield, so its not a surprise we are not fluid at the moment.

Leeds played like a team who have played together for some time and we played like a team who haven't. 

Just think about it - look at our starting line up and for each player look at the player behind, in front and to each side of him. Very few established combinations, many new this season and many only a few weeks or days old. 

I didn't get over excited when we looked good at the beginning of the season and I am not worrying to much until these players have had time to establish a better rapport and understandings.

All that said disappointing to lose, even though Leeds where the better team - it could have gone either way. 

 

[Bailey]

13 hours ago, RuffRob said:

Leeds have been doing this to Premiership teams all season, and the manager has been building their team over a number of seasons - and it showed. We are very much building - you just need to look at new 'pairings' we have all over the pitch.  You chuck in to that our injury problems over the past month - we are having to play even more new pairings. 

A back three of Godfrey, Keane, Holgate  - how unfamiliar are these three playing together as a unit? 

Left side - Iwobi wingback with ahead Richarlison - first time

Right side - Davies wingback with Rodrigues ahead of him - first time

A midfield of 4 players put together for the first time only a few months ago. None had ever played together before the kick off this season.

at the moment we are playing a unfamiliar back line, left side and right side all jelled by a relatively new midfield, so its not a surprise we are not fluid at the moment.

Leeds played like a team who have played together for some time and we played like a team who haven't. 

Just think about it - look at our starting line up and for each player look at the player behind, in front and to each side of him. Very few established combinations, many new this season and many only a few weeks or days old. 

I didn't get over excited when we looked good at the beginning of the season and I am not worrying to much until these players have had time to establish a better rapport and understandings.

All that said disappointing to lose, even though Leeds where the better team - it could have gone either way. 

 

This is part of the reason why some of the choices made were baffling. Keane and Holgate have played plenty of games together. No doubt Kenny has done lots of work in training and in previous seasons with the CB pairing. Niels would have been new to the scene but he has at least shown the ability to link up going forward, that is more than Iwobi has. 

We have a midfield three that looked like they had gelled well early in the season and they were the best midfield 3 we have played with despite the issues with Gomes. They have also played with the attacking 3 plenty of times this season. 

The injuries we have had obviously don't help, but the obvious solutions would have surely been a lot less destabilising than the sides we have sent out. 

[Shukes]

16 hours ago, Bailey said:

 

I feel vindicated for my comments at half time haha. Hate it, but it was a bad performance. 

[AlbanyNYToffee]

Digne was and is a huge miss. We’re going to continue to struggle without him. Especially with the fixtures piling up, expect to see some controversial selections from Carlo. 
 

Whether we want to admit it or not this team is only as good as Richarlison’s form. He was poor yesterday hence the result. 

[RuffRob]

5 hours ago, Bailey said:

This is part of the reason why some of the choices made were baffling. Keane and Holgate have played plenty of games together. No doubt Kenny has done lots of work in training and in previous seasons with the CB pairing. Niels would have been new to the scene but he has at least shown the ability to link up going forward, that is more than Iwobi has. 

We have a midfield three that looked like they had gelled well early in the season and they were the best midfield 3 we have played with despite the issues with Gomes. They have also played with the attacking 3 plenty of times this season. 

The injuries we have had obviously don't help, but the obvious solutions would have surely been a lot less destabilising than the sides we have sent out. 

We need to break a few eggs to make an omelette. We are not really going to firing properly until later in the season. Even in the first few games, the midfeild didn't actually flow that good as a unit, more individual playing well. We aslo got a little bit luck in a couple of those games. We let plenty of goals in aganist average teams. A new heart of a team along with key injuries means we will simply struggle to dominate games especially againt well organissd teams, Leeds played very well today. We had moments but as a 'team' we are not there yet. 

Unfortunately, it is playing time together that is needed in order to build good team dynamics and understanding - there is no substitute for this. Patience is what is really needed this season. 

[Cornish Steve]

More than anything, this game reveals the lack of depth in our squad. When injuries hit, we're forced to pull in players with no sense of urgency. Sigurdsson, Delph, and Gomes offer nothing, in my opinion. It's always a risk to play players out of position, but what other option did we have?

But there were the usual positives on which we can build: Allan the rock in midfield; DC-L maturing with every game; Pickford and Keane continuing to rebuild confidence. Holgate and Godfrey need more opportunities to play together. Davies wants to succeed, and showed good effort.