Leeds United - v - Manchester City ***Matchday Thread***

[LeedsFTW]

We've stepped up a league, played 4 games, 2 of which were against teams that finished 1st & 2nd last season respectively and have spent millions building their squads.

We have 2 wins, 1 draw and a loss making it 7 points from 12, what is not to like?

[hopelesslyoptimistic]

Not forgetting we have played the best two teams in the league and justifiably have a shout to say we should have got a point v scousers

[cherrypie7]

We've stepped up a league, played 4 games, 2 of which were against teams that finished 1st & 2nd last season respectively and have spent millions building their squads.

We have 2 wins, 1 draw and a loss making it 7 points from 12, what is not to like?

Agreed. We played well against City. Just a little disappointed we missed 2 or 3 chances to score. Ayling should have scored, Dallas should have scored, in a couple of breakaways the right pass just didn't make it. Was Barndoor clean through or offside? We missed Harrison on the left.

[Tichi1]

Wish we would stop f00king about in our own area and expect gks to know how to pass precisely!

Would that be the keeper that saved our bacon last week??
Fecking embarrasing listening to you moan your way through the first half, then do a 360 in the second.

Any update on your opinions of Rod or Koch yet?

Thank feck you are a minority of one on this board - you are a complete shambles as "Supporter" go!

[Tichi1]

Little disappointing as we didn't play there full team and might have gotten that thrashing. good, we came back in the second half but I don't think we have hit the heights of the Liverpool game again.
MB ----->Roberts----->God?

So you would have preffered their first team to give us a thrashing???

[Tichi1]

Mate - Leeds United drew with Manchester City tonight. A team with players who were struggling in the Championship 27 months ago. A club that had Hickinbotham as coach, and a madman as our owner.

Nothing disappointing about the way we played tonight and where we are as a club - we stood toe to toe with a hugely rich club who were in the Champions League latter stages last year, full of top world class players, and we gave them a right good game.

Spot on Jez

[Tichi1]

Ok, let me put it this way. Liverpool game we were awesome next game we looked awesome and nearly stuffed it up. Next game we did ok just got there. Yesterday we were outclassed first half and played better in the second. All those games which were the best?
Fulham has been getting pumped every week and we just held on. Sheffield hasn't won a game a think took us all day to get there, Today we played a second-string side and couldn't get there. All I have seen is our defending has improved heaps from the first 2 games but our scoring has dried up. The selection again proved wrong and when rod came on we played better.
By disappointed, I go back to the Liverpool game and say Woah so I guess I expect them to play at that level from now on. I'm not disappointed where we are and if you told me we would be like this at the start of the season I would have taken it and been happy.

"By disappointed, I go back to the Liverpool game and say Woah " So your favorite game of the season ewas the one we lost ???
Goals haven't dried up at all - scored in EVERY game, just tightened up a bit - not quite so cavalier, An away win against the team that came top half last season and a Draw against City and you're dissapointed? Expectations are out of proportion to where we are Oz mate.

[Ozwhites]

Sitting way above expectations at present. When we kicked off the season, I was hoping all the predictably top 10 sides would beat others to ensure we stayed above relegation. Now I find myself cheering the other way! Like West Ham currently 2 up over Leicester!

[WTF11]

Mate - Leeds United drew with Manchester City tonight. A team with players who were struggling in the Championship 27 months ago. A club that had Hickinbotham as coach, and a madman as our owner.

Nothing disappointing about the way we played tonight and where we are as a club - we stood toe to toe with a hugely rich club who were in the Champions League latter stages last year, full of top world class players, and we gave them a right good game.

Agreed Jez (to a point).

We gave them too much respect in the first 20 minutes (Phillips mentioned as much in the post match interview), and we played tippy-tappy in our own third (or even the last 18 yards) allowing their forward line to press hard. Drop balls into their midfield, or slightly behind, and they were like rabbits in the headlights, their back four were all at sixes and sevens. Fighting our way out of our own half wasn't the best tactic (IMHO), and I'm afraid Meslier was directly responsible for their goal, with one of a number of dreadful kicks out from the box, mostly going to City players with not a white shirt to be seen, very disappointing.

For most of the match however, we went toe-to-toe as you say, and gave them a LOT to think about, and I am genuinely delighted that Rodrigo has settled as quickly as he has (and will do better over time), would have been sublime to have seen that top corner effort go in, but I don't suppose we can have everything, yet! Poveda was a joy to watch as he tore Mendy a new one, and there were some really beautiful deft touches from Costa and others, that would match any player for skill in the PL or anywhere else. Other than the tippy-tappy stuff, the defence was sound (although what the hell was Bamford doing with that header late on, trying to keep up his "scoring in every game" record?? )

A real team effort, under extreme pressure and despite not having Aguerro etc, the City side was at least as strong as that which faced Leicester, and we didn't see the expected backlash from that drubbing, because the team stopped it from happening, not that City weren't capable.

Played last seasons champions and should have won (and I suspect with the new handball interpretation, we would have), and now matched a team that has had over £1bn spent on it in the last 10 years, and could quite easily have come away with all three points. Early days maybe, but the performances to date show we need have no fear of other teams, (respect, in due measure, yes. Fear, no), quite the opposite, and despite it being early days I think I am safe in saying that I'm delighted to have been proved wrong on that score.

[WTF11]

Ok, let me put it this way. Liverpool game we were awesome next game we looked awesome and nearly stuffed it up. Next game we did ok just got there. Yesterday we were outclassed first half and played better in the second. All those games which were the best?
Fulham has been getting pumped every week and we just held on. Sheffield hasn't won a game a think took us all day to get there, Today we played a second-string side and couldn't get there. All I have seen is our defending has improved heaps from the first 2 games but our scoring has dried up. The selection again proved wrong and when rod came on we played better.
By disappointed, I go back to the Liverpool game and say Woah so I guess I expect them to play at that level from now on. I'm not disappointed where we are and if you told me we would be like this at the start of the season I would have taken it and been happy.

Hi Oz. seems you and me are getting "clubbed together" so here's a post that diverges (a little) from your view, a little.

Watched the Liverpool and City games in full (the girls bought me a Sky subscription as compensation for not being able to go watch PL matches at the ground, sweet eh?), and whilst we were indeed awesome, we had lapses against what was, in fairness to Liverpool, not their strongest team (I suspect Klopp regretted taking chances on second string players). The result could have been different had the new hand-ball interpretation been in place, but there we are. Didn't see much of the Fulham or Blades games, but tend to agree, we should have done better, conceding goals late on against Fulham was just poor, but the fact that we continued to push right up to full time against Sheffield shows just what kind of spirit and drive there is in the team.

We weren't outclassed first half, but for about half of the first half, once we got over being respectful and started playing the game we can, and for whatever reason we lost our way a little for the last 15 minutes. That against a team/squad that has had over £1bn spent on it over the last decade and in our fourth match back in the PL for over at least that same decade.

What do you think WBA fans would like to have? Answer, what we have!

When Rodrigo came on, we did improve, but the improvement in performance started before then. When Poveda came on and the formation was changed to bring Dallas over to the left, we improved, but the improvement started before then. We are a work-in-progress, that's for sure. The great performances to date haven't been consistent enough or as thorough in terms of addressing all positions on the pitch, but four games in, after so long away from the top flight, and having spent really not a lot in the transfer window, I'd have taken where we are at seasons start, in a heartbeat.