The Super(ish) Leeds United Thread

[Main Street]

Life was simpler when Leeds were the most hated.  I suppose these days the competition has intensified for that honour, now Leeds just occupy the happy clappy  born again seats.

[Rufus T Firefly]

Wolves won last night with a lucky goal, although that said, their victory wasn't lucky. We dominated the first half without creating any real chances but Wolves were a different proposition in the second half and after 55 minutes, I'd have taken the draw.

Wolves have a reputation for being tight in defence, despite the hammering they got at West Ham, so I'd put the lack of impact by Costa, Harrison, Bamford and Rodrigo down to that. Pablo came on with about twenty to go and suggested that this might be his role going forward. He was lively and involved. Best for me on the night were Meslier, Striuck (sp?) and Leeds' man of the match, Koch. He already looks good value.

[Rufus T Firefly]

Sitting third in the league this morning on the back of a performance that was arguably the best yet under Bielsa. Leeds had the better of a tight enough first half in which Paddy Bamford spurned a couple of good opportunities.

At the start of the second half Villa threatened briefly and Meslier had two very good saves. However the remainder of the game, and the ball, belonged to Leeds.

Great performances everywhere. Costa and Harrison on the wings  Rodrigo in the middle, but Bamford stood the show with a hat trick, the second and third of which were brilliant finishes.

A great win, achieved with one fit centre half and without Phillip's, and against a team who had been calling into question the myth of Bielsa. 🙂

[shark]

Sitting third in the league this morning on the back of a performance that was arguably the best yet under Bielsa. Leeds had the better of a tight enough first half in which Paddy Bamford spurned a couple of good opportunities.

At the start of the second half Villa threatened briefly and Meslier had two very good saves. However the remainder of the game, and the ball, belonged to Leeds.

Great performances everywhere. Costa and Harrison on the wings  Rodrigo in the middle, but Bamford stood the show with a hat trick, the second and third of which were brilliant finishes.

A great win, achieved with one fit centre half and without Phillip's, and against a team who had been calling into question the myth of Bielsa. 🙂

In fairness, that was a former player who said that. And he was never known for his smarts.

[lurganblue]

Sitting third in the league this morning on the back of a performance that was arguably the best yet under Bielsa. Leeds had the better of a tight enough first half in which Paddy Bamford spurned a couple of good opportunities.

At the start of the second half Villa threatened briefly and Meslier had two very good saves. However the remainder of the game, and the ball, belonged to Leeds.

Great performances everywhere. Costa and Harrison on the wings  Rodrigo in the middle, but Bamford stood the show with a hat trick, the second and third of which were brilliant finishes.

A great win, achieved with one fit centre half and without Phillip's, and against a team who had been calling into question the myth of Bielsa. 🙂

In fairness, that was a former player who said that. And he was never known for his smarts.

F*ck he's a dose.

[Rufus T Firefly]

A great win, achieved with one fit centre half and without Phillip's, and against a team who had been calling into question the myth of Bielsa. 🙂

In fairness, that was a former player who said that. And he was never known for his smarts.

Yes, fair enough comment.

[Rufus T Firefly]

Back to back 4-1 defeats and a lot of similarities for me across both matches.

In the Leicester game, the match turned on a couple of moments. Bamford missed a straightforward header early on and Leicester went straight down the pitch and capitalised on a terrible error by Koch to open the scoring. In the second half, Leeds were threatening a comeback when Pablo hit a great effort against the angle of bar and post. Leicester went down the pitch and scored a third.

Yesterday, the match turned on a number of plays where Leeds again had no luck and the opposition benefited. The first of course was the Bamford disallowed goal. The reaction of the football world gives an insight into what way our luck went there. The second was the Costa own goal. How bizarre was that? Furthermore, the other three Palace goals hit the woodwork before going in. Contrast that with Pablo's effort against Leicester. The luck yesterday meant we were chasing the game at 3-1 and got opened up for the fourth.

Both Leicester and Palace were deserving winners but on other days we might have avoided defeat in both. By the way - the absence of Philips is proving to be huge. Good time for an international break.

[Billys Boots]

Leeds not getting outplayed in any game, and that's enough for me.  Lost to two wilier teams that were happy to counterattack, rather than build anything significant.  Need to be approaching those games like the City game, I'd have thought.  Phillips a massive loss at present. 

[Mourne Rover]

It's worth remembering that six of the eight teams Leeds have played so far are now in the top half of the table, and it's true that we have had some extraordinary examples of bad luck in the last two games. However, back to back 4-1 defeats also tells a story and we could easily have conceded quite a few more goals. With the next three matches against Arsenal, Everton and Chelsea, the risk of slipping into a prolonged bad run is obvious.

Bielsa will know that most of his problems are at the back. Meslier has done pretty well overall but crucially lacks experience and the central defence has looked ropey. We are vulnerable without Phillips, but hopefully he and Llorente, who should make a big difference, will be fit again soon.  The target for this season was always staying up and there is a still a decent gap to the bottom three places. A few more points before Christmas will keep us well placed for survival.

[Mourne Rover]

Today was probably our best result of the season so far and takes us up to a healthy 11th. We could get greedy and say the points which could easily have been picked up against Arsenal, Palace, Leicester and Wolves might even have us far higher. However, winning at Everton for the first time in the premiership with a dominant display is hugely encouraging. It is a concern that we seem to need ten decent chances for every goal but it does not worry Bielsa. Consecutive clean sheets is pretty decent as well.

[Rufus T Firefly]

Beaten by the better team on Saturday night. Thought we looked threatening in the first half but faded after that and were deservedly beaten. Thought Kante run the show for Chelsea and I note that Chelsea were the first Premier League side this season to outrun Leeds in terms of distance covered. Koch went off injured and gave us our first sight of Llorente. I'd have to say that my initial reaction is that - like Koch - he is not physically imposing and the manner in which Zouma scored Chelsea's second from a corner would give rise to concern. I also think he will cause one or two nervy moments as I get the sense he likes to play a bit of football at the back and I'm not sure that his confidence in his own skills would reflect my confidence, again on the basis of that first match.

Still, a match that we were competitive in until the closing moments. Two big games now coming up - West Ham and Newcastle at home - six points would be most welcome!!   

Oh and by the way, I'd forgotten how likeable Frank is and was reminded of same by his goal celebrations which seemed to have as their primary purpose to get noticed by Bielsa. Nice fella.     

[Rufus T Firefly]

Plenty of evidence to worry the glass half empty brigade, on Friday night last. Beaten 2-1 at home by West Ham. A match that many might have thought we could target as a win, but the final scoreline flattered us. West Ham could have won by three or four, and that despite them going a goal down early on.

Both of our new centre backs were missing through injury which meant Cooper teaming up with Ayling in the middle. Rodrigo and Raphina both played but for me the team was essentially a Championship side. There are players who are patently not good enough for this level. Harrison offered very little in the first half and was replaced by Costa at half time who offered nothing - save of course for giving away the needless free from which West Ham got their winner.

Cooper has great heart, and leads from the front, but is very limited at this level. Llorente and Koch are better players, but like Cooper, they appear to lack a physical presence. The manner in which West Ham got their goals, coming on the back of Zouma's goal for Chelsea, points to a glaring weakness that needs addressed.

Newcastle up next tomorrow. A win would be very welcome. 

[Mourne Rover]

There have been some alarm bells for Leeds lately, as four points from the last 18 shows, but there is still every chance Bielsa will stick to an unchanged team. While Harrison and Costa had decent starts to the season, their form has declined and mistakes from each of them led to both West Ham goals. Cooper and Ayling did OK for most of the game and it would be a huge surprise if they did not start against Newcastle, who do not look as strong as the sides we have faced during the recent dodgy run. Getting a decent result would set us up nicely for the trip to Old Trafford the following Sunday.

[Mourne Rover]

Leeds are beyond doubt the great entertainers of the premiership, and, allowing for the usual defensive frailties, tonight was another thriller. With five different players scoring, including two goal of the season contenders, it was a brilliant game from start to finish. Hernandez only came on with five minutes to go and still managed two assists. Ending a disappointing run was essential but you never really know what is going to happen next with this team. Onward to Old Trafford, which is equally unlikely to be dull.

[Billys Boots]

Onward to Old Trafford, which is equally unlikely to be dull.

It'll be a 0-0 borefest, I reckon.