The Super(ish) Leeds United Thread

[seafoid]

Leeds 3 Chelsea 0

Some result

[Hound]

Some result for Leeds.  Manager is in no way likeable (unlike his predecessor) and I was sure he was a spoofer,  but now it's hard to argue with his results and performances. The '0' in the conceded column today was particularly impressive

[ONeill]

What's up with Marsch? Is he not liked at the club?

[Rufus T Firefly]

What's up with Marsch? Is he not liked at the club?

I think it was the love for Bielsa from right across the support that meant his replacement - whoever it was - was always going to have a big task to win the supporters over. Furthermore, there is a wee bit of soccer snobbery, given that he is a "Yank" and the sense I get is that the accent and some of the phraseology grates with some of the more old fashioned supporters who think that the USA is a soccer wilderness.

Last season he essentially had to work with what Bielsa had left him - a huge injury list included - with the primary aim of staying up, which he achieved. The team is now considered to be more in his image and it is accepted that he will now be judged on the results that follow. Bielsa was a God at the Club and is still much loved and revered, but if the team continue to perform like yesterday and Marsch continues to show the passion and commitment to the Club and the jersey, then he will win over the malcontents.

As for the game, it was a great occasion and a great performance. Thoroughly deserved win and one which particularly irked Thomas Tuchel.  It was a great team effort with excellent individual performances all over the pitch. Harrison given Man of the Match but I thought the two Americans were just ahead of him in terms of performance and Rodrigo is playing with confidence and is now at last looking like a Spanish International. Definite hope for the future and will be interesting to see if we add to the squad before the end of the transfer window. Newcastle are still said to be interested in sniffing around Harrison, but on the basis of yesterday, it should take a considerable sum of money to force his release. 

[Mourne Rover]

It's very early days but the signs are all good for Leeds. Our home results have been very patchy since promotion, with only four wins in the whole of last season and three of them coming against the relegated sides. Yesterday marked a return to Fortress Elland Road, which will be crucial if the improvement is to be maintained. Marsch will probably calm down in due course but he was entitled to be a little over animated as all his new signings were highly impressive and he is clearly getting the best out of Rodrigo and Harrison. While all Leeds fans know that setbacks are seldom far away, the next few fixtures provide at least some opportunities for more points. An additional striker should still be on the agenda but the bench already looks at an entirely different level. It's just a pity we cannot play Chelsea every week.

[Rufus T Firefly]

Marsch will probably calm down in due course but he was entitled to be a little over animated as all his new signings were highly impressive and he is clearly getting the best out of Rodrigo and Harrison.

Funny, it was only when I looked at the line up last night that it dawned on me how far removed the starting eleven was from the Championship winning side. Harrison and Meslier (who only came in for the last ten matches or so in 2020) were the only two to start from just three years ago. Granted Klich and Forshaw came on and Bamford, Dallas, Ayling and Cooper are all still out injured, but I felt for the first time that there was a real sense that the team has moved on considerably from promotion. 

[seafoid]

5th isn't a bad start

[Rufus T Firefly]

5th isn't a bad start

You're right, it's not. Some sage somewhere was able to point out that in the history of the Premier League, no team that has gathered at least eight points from their first five games has ever gone on to be relegated from the Premier League, so history is smiling. That said, the opening fixtures were relatively favourable and tougher tests await.

Brighton away has always been challenging for Leeds and they were deservedly beaten there at the weekend. Had one or two half chances but Brighton dominated and Leeds struggled to threaten. I'd have to say Brighton have looked quite impressive, albeit they were beaten last night.

We dominated the game last night but our old failing of not converting chances came back to bite us. Everton took the lead against the run of play, thanks to a bad error by Llorente and we lost our way up to half time. The second half started with fresh impetus, and we deservedly got an equaliser through the impressive Sinisterra but we could not get the winner despite the pressure. Indeed, Everton threatened a second goal on one or two occasions.

All in all, two points dropped and we also lost Rodrigo to a dislocated shoulder which could have implications for any decision on bolstering our forward resources before tomorrow. Angus Kinnear strongly suggested in last night's programme notes that they were happy with our striking options, but that may need to be revisited if Rodrigo is out for the medium term, alongside Bamford's fragile physical health.  A decision has to be made and time is not on their side.     

[Mourne Rover]

There's no doubt that last night was a throwback to the championship days under Bielsa when Leeds regularly dominated games while missing chances and conceding dodgy goals. It was a match which Leeds would probably have lost last season, as Everton had two major opportunities in the closing stages, so it may well go down as a point gained rather than two dropped. An Everton win would have left them only two points behind us, while the draw maintained a five point gap. A similar margin at the end of the season would be a decent outcome, and it is clear we could be in an even stronger position if a new striker appears. There are strong hints that the budget is limited but a relatively modest investment now could prevent massive difficulties later on. Rodrigo, Bamford and Gelhardt have already had injuries in the opening weeks, and, if they are not available, playing James or Greenwood out of position as a lone striker would be a huge risk.

[seafoid]

Last year Leeds had an average of 1 point per game = 38.
So far Leeds have 8 points from 5 or 1.6 on average.

[Rufus T Firefly]

First post in about a week on this thread and there is already a lot of water under the bridge.

The last day of the transfer window was, even by Leeds' standards, the stuff of absolute mayhem. They appeared to have sealed a deal for striker Bamba Dieng, with Radrizzani inviting supporters to welcome him on Twitter, and him literally sitting on a plane waiting to depart for Leeds. However his head was turned by a last minute intervention by Nice, and the deal fell through. Unbelievably he then failed his medical at Nice and that transfer also appeared to fall through.

Leeds were now desperate to get another striker in, with Rodrigo injured, and went chasing Cody Gakpo at the eleventh hour without success, although there were hints that this deal might happen again in the near future.

Leeds therefore brought forward the signing of Wilfried Gnonto from Zurich (it was due to take place in January). He is only 18 but is already a full Italian international, so the hope would be that he should be able to offer something now. That said, if things were to go pear shaped for Bamford's fitness, and with Rodrigo out, options suddenly look very few and the supporters will not be long in letting the Board know that.

And Dan James was also released - on loan - to Fulham. I've sympathy for him, as he always appeared totally committed to the Club, was regularly played out of position, and didn't want to leave.

Back to the acion and we got a 5-2 thumping at Brentford. A lot of supporters reckon that it was actually a decent enough performance but was undone by a series of terrible defensive errors, with Llorente, not for the first time, being culpable. The return of Cooper is therefore likely to see him drop to the bench.

Next up is Forest at home, and a win would be very welcome. 

[Rufus T Firefly]

First match in nearly a month, last weekend and it was a turgid affair - 0-0 at home to Villa.

The match turned on a second yellow / red for Sinisterra shortly after half time and from there to the end it was about holding on for a point. To be fair, Villa rarely threatened and I'm sure will feel disappointed at the way the game panned out. Villa appeared to be time wasting from early in the first half, with Martinez taking an age to kick the ball from his possession.

It was good to see Cooper back at the centre of the defence and he was a calming influence. Good also to see Ayling back and Bamford had a very good cameo appearance late on. With Sinisiterra now suspended, would like to see Gnonto given a run, as he looked very impressive - albeit a relatively short substitute appearance - for Italy against England.

Palace away this weekend and there is increasingly a need to accumulate points, as we are for the most part avoiding the 'Big Six' in our run of fixtures. 

[Rufus T Firefly]

The storm clouds are gathering. Phil Hay did a great article in the Athletic this morning in which he articulated what many of us have been dreading to say out loud, i.e. that we are not good enough and we are going to struggle to stay up.

Last night's performance was of the abject variety and wasn't helped by what appeared some strange decisions around the line up - Harrison and Cooper making way for Summerville and Llorente. Firpo also returned for the injured Striujk which was also a blow.

It seems to have been the case for ages now, and it certainly dates back to Bielsa's time, that we need a striker who will score goals. I really like Paddy Bamford, but he is not good enough at the primary function of a striker - putting the ball in the net. I read where in recent matches we have had 42 shots and only one goal.

We were unlucky against Arsenal I thought and deserved something from the game. I didn't see last night but by all accounts we were awful, and lack of goal threat was again a feature, whilst the left side of the defence (Firpo / Llorente) was targeted by Leicester, with a lot of success. The away fans were not best pleased and singing in praise of Bielsa could be heard.

We now have 2 points from our last 7 games. With Liverpool away coming up, the Fulham match on Sunday is increasingly looking like make or break for Marsch. A win is desperately needed and I'm not hopeful.

[seafoid]

Over those 7 matches Leeds have lost to Brighton (, Brentford (10) and Crystal Palace (11)  Arsenal, top and Leicester who don't belong in the relegation zone. They got a point from Everton (15)
Previously, 4 points were won against fellow strugglers Southampton (14) and
Wolves (18) plus there was the freak win against Chelsea.

Unfortunately the Forest match was postponed. That would have been a gimme.

Leeds have to win matches against teams in the bottom half. Games to date are biased towards the top half.
Leeds are 7th most likely to be relegated per the bookies
https://www.oddschecker.com/football/english/premier-league/relegation

[Mourne Rover]

It's very difficult to see Marsch surviving after today's result, which leaves Leeds in the bottom three after eight games without a win. He was a little unlucky in a couple of them, but the overall trends are dire and relegation looks odds on if the board does not intervene. While it is possible he was always out of his depth, the club's failure to bring in a striker and a left back in the transfer window effectively finished him off. There is plenty of time to turn the season around, but the next appointment will define Radrizzani's time as chairman.