Thoughts from the game

[hopelesslyoptimistic]

Just got back home from the game.

First up what a stadium, 5 minutes to get a pint, massive choice of food compared to the usual fare, quick to get to the toilets which weee spacious and clean. Inside the stadium it looks like a grand football stage. Can’t be a better ground in any sport in the UK. Managed to keep the sound into it too - if, when we develop our stands if they it is a 20th as good I would be very happy. TV screens everywhere too to watch games, highlights clips.

Spuds fans do like to moan a lot though and not very much cheeky chappy cockney spirit on display more moaning chip on shoulder cockney.

To the game. First spuds -
My god they are boring to watch and sit back holding shape and running at half pace for most of the game. Didn’t really pressure us or press us much but when they decide to try the quality is evident. Maybe that is why their fans moan so much. It’s almost as if they want the other team to run out of steam and then take advantage.

We are a side of three distinct dimensions.

With the ball we are good and the movement off the ball is very good - Rodrigo took up some clever positions which you would never seen from TV and creates space for others.

Adams, Aaronson and Roca form a solid, clever proper midfield with lots of energy and running and use the ball well - they play well together too, Summerville was excellent he plays a little like a young Sterling in the way he runs and his balance. Gnonto looked good before he had to go off injured and links with Summerville and the midfield well. Spurs don’t pressure much but we played some good attacking possession football and the first and third goals were well created with Rodrigo’s finishes being very good.

Defensively, hmmmn, we press well from the front and in midfield but we are vulnerable out wide and especially at LB - just fcuking sign a quality LB please and to use Kinnear’s words from the documentary - stop fcuking about. Struijk did some good things but he isn’t a LB and got skinned a few times - if they had someone better than Emerson Royal on the overlap we would have been in a lot more trouble but most of the trouble comes from there.

It is noticeable how narrow we get at the back and how much space there is on the opposite flank which Spuds didn’t really exploit. Cooper just isn’t good enough at this level - he looked error prone a lot of the time but thankfully we weren’t pressed much. It was so obvious what was happening and JM did nothing to adapt.

Every time we went ahead you always had the feeling they would pull at least one back. We just can’t hold onto leads.

Tactically, with the ball we looked good and exciting. Defensively see above - we are a mess and look weak out wide or from corners. All of Spuds goals had calamity defending in common to some degree.

JMs subs make no sense. Roca and Adams were bossing the midfield and Roca looked full of running so he subs him!!!!! We lost the midfield thebln and he reshuffled with Ayling at the back and Rasmus in some weird sort of wide position that made no sense. Rodrigo was clearly flagging at this point and he leaves him on and so are press was less effective and at this point Aarson was playing up top with Rodrigo deeper.

With 1 minute and 40 seconds he brings on Joffey and Matreo Joseph who immediately brought energy and speed back to the press but by which time the game was gone.

Good game to watch apart from the result and we played attractive football. JM is seemingly a nice bloke and speaks a good game but Boris Johnson had more substance behind his policies than JM does behind his tactical acumen. Not good enough if we want to progress.

Rodrigo was decent and took both goals well and worth persevering with. midfield looked excellent at times and we need to keep those players as other may start sniffing around them.

Of the back four Koch looks good but needs good players around him - Struijk did some good things but just play him at CB and sign a LB and if in doubt sign two.

Bamford and Harrison should be bench warmers only.

Fun day out, annoyingly predictable result but we are going to rely on others not properly exploiting our obvious weaknesses.

MOT

Oh and our fans whilst massively out numbered out in the usually noisy shift.

[Billyni]

Thanks for that Hopey.
The dogs in the street know what’s needed.
Sadly JM and the board don’t.

[norfolk white]

We all know what's needed. 3 games ago I'd have taken a win and 2 draws in those 3 games at a shot, that would have given us 5 points, we have 6, strangely I'm still gutted we haven't got 7, or even 9, just never satisfied.

[hopelesslyoptimistic]

Agreed but if we were less naive tactically defensively we should have had 9 points from those games.

Really like Adams he is turning into the on pitch leader of the team and has a lot of Batty’s best qualities including that little bit of devil.

Hate to think how far Aaronson runs in a game but he never seems to be ever stationary.

[Monaco_Totty]

Thank you Hopey.
Appreciate your pitch-side take on matters & glad you managed to enjoy your day regardless of result & got home safely.🤗

[Rev72]

Points were there for the taking but when your defence is sh1te and your manager is tactically clueless there is always a strong chance you will end up with just yer BFH.

[CalverleyBoy]

Cooper looked worn out after the game, I know Rodrigo didn't quite play a full game but he looked like he hadn't broke a sweat at the end. Cooper tries hard but as mentioned elsewhere he is starting to strugle

[joellufcprice]

Overall-

We've got some great kids.

VAR is an absolute embarrassment to the game.

Cooper is not good enough for this level anymore, great captain but his skillset is lacking. Entire defense is pretty crap, they constantly get caught out, outwide.

Struijk is trying his best but is getting caught out of position just as much as Firpo.

Players constantly switch off when ball is out of play and we got caught continually by Spurs just getting on with it. Summerville being the biggest culprit

Marsch subs are abysmal, 3-2 up and he takes a centre mid off, they over run us and 5 mins later they're 4-3 up and we are chasing it again.

Overall- Still think Marsch is out of his depth but if he can adapt and sort out the defending we should be fine. I don't see us going down, but I think it will be close run till the end of the season yet again.

[Monaco_Totty]

Digesting press, media, fans & forum opinions I'm still not convinced about our Jessie.


So Marsch has stated on Instagram HIS feelings about the Spurs match.
Still angry about how we let it slip,” wrote Marsch on his Instagram page on Sunday evening. "It’s not how we wanted to finish before the break. But with a bit of time to reflect, there have been so many positives this season and there’s so much more to come. The young players have progressed well and will benefit from this break to work on lots of areas of their game before we’re back as a group to improve defensively and in every phase of the game.”



Our fan Moscow White states about the Spurs match.
"Marsch didn’t help attempts to decipher this game, claiming that mistakes, not tactics, were the reason that despite leading three times Leeds went home 4-3 losers. His work on the training pitches has, he says, “created more flexibility and more clarity, and that’s the reason why at 2-2 we’re in control of the match — because tactically we were on top of things. And then when it slips we tactically are not.” A mistake, Marsch went on, “stems often, for me, from the fact that we’re not fully committing to, tactically and behaviourally, what we want to achieve".



Spurs Coach Conte stated to the Guardian newspaper today
“It was really strange; tough,” Conte said. “Every coach doesn’t want to have this type of game, it shows a lot of instability in one side and the other side.”
https://www.theguardian.com/football...e-match-report



So depending on your viewpoint, Marsch 'could' be right - as when Leeds players do what they're told they come out on top. But when they don't do what they're told all falls apart. Well, is that instability, tactics or poor players ?
Cos if it's all then Jessie & the whole coaching staff are guilty of creating instability via poor tactics with given players available.



Not saying I agree with Marsch but some might & do, as Spurs were on the verge of crumbling with their fans turning against them & then it goes belly up & our strategic 'tactical' substitutes didn't help tactically either, imo.
So when Leeds are playing well it’s because the tactics are good & the players are good & when Leeds are playing badly the tactics are still good but the players are not a determined JM believes - sorry but I ain't having that spiel.



Convenient analogy for more time some would politely say.
Whatever, it's a convenient way for a head coach to remain blameless is it not ?

[spaldy]

Was pretty torqued up about the ref and the no call. Overall, thought he was pretty good but he didn't have to homer that much when he gifts them a goal in the first 20 minutes. Any Sunday league ref calls that. It also appeared that the spurs player impeded Meslier from getting back up. Two fouls before the ball is shot and not call.

Like wrestling, It's pretty obvious that the EPL tells officials who they'd prefer to win. It's not just Leeds that get's hosed regularly. A simple rule of the thumb is "top 6" first order and then London clubs second order. After that it's anybody's guess but you can rest assured that trips to Yorkshire, Midlands, Tyne and Wear or Sus*** will likely be punished. I think that the Geordies are too good this year but they'll get bent over by refs and VAR more than any of the "top six clubs" and will still overcome it.


With that being said the sub pattern and the lack of defense pretty much ensured we lost whether we had an honest ref or not.