Crystal Palace - v - Leeds United *** Matchday Thread ***

[ozleeds]

My thoughts only....if we had of played a more attacking style against Palace, we probably open up further defensively, and they do score 3 or 4 that was threatening the whole game. Playing attacking doesn't mean we would have necessarily turned 1 point into 3.

Maybe and we will never know. I just know it was a pathetic performance in a match we had to win. Can you see us getting any more points playing this way against much better sides? If we were scared of Palace we must be petrified of what is coming.

[hopelesslyoptimistic]

Maybe and we will never know. I just know it was a pathetic performance in a match we had to win. Can you see us getting any more points playing this way against much better sides? If we were scared of Palace we must be petrified of what is coming.

We are a lot better defensively generally but in some other specific ways. At corners we look miles better and the back 4 has 2 holding midfielders protecting it. We mark much more in zones which means we are less exposed if one player gets beaten and can’t recover and track back. The centre of the pitch is more congested too making it harder to stroll through us.

We are weaker defensively in that the opposition has the ball for longer periods and we keep it for shorter periods. We also narrow the field my compressing to where the ball is leaving the opposite flank wide open. I can see city exploiting that this weekend with switch balls.

Offensively, we don’t seem good as we play narrow and if no options launch it to the penalty area. It relies a bit on forcing errors from the other team rather than beautifully crafted goals.

As such, we are set up to defend better and Nick a goal and as such if we can score first then yes we can pick up points. There are still talented individuals who can score.

I can see points from Brighton, Brentford, Chelsea and Arsenal as a possibility especially with a home ground for the harder games.

[Ozwhites]

Maybe and we will never know. I just know it was a pathetic performance in a match we had to win. Can you see us getting any more points playing this way against much better sides? If we were scared of Palace we must be petrified of what is coming.

No I probably don't see us getting any more points playing this way against the better teams. But I honestly think we are even less chance if we adopt a more attacking style against them! Would settle for any unexpected draw in the next 3 games. More reliance in Everton's results at this stage if we are to survive.

[ozleeds]

No I probably don't see us getting any more points playing this way against the better teams. But I honestly think we are even less chance if we adopt a more attacking style against them! Would settle for any unexpected draw in the next 3 games. More reliance in Everton's results at this stage if we are to survive.

My point mate was we needed points from this game and I'm not suggesting they open up for the games coming up. This was a winnable game against a not a superior team we even beat them when we were crap. Dropping these 2 points made life much much harder than it should be. Who knows we might get points from games on paper that look like disasters but the real fact remains we are stuffed if Everton comes good because Burnley is not going back south.

[ozleeds]

We are a lot better defensively generally but in some other specific ways. At corners we look miles better and the back 4 has 2 holding midfielders protecting it. We mark much more in zones which means we are less exposed if one player gets beaten and can’t recover and track back. The centre of the pitch is more congested too making it harder to stroll through us.

We are weaker defensively in that the opposition has the ball for longer periods and we keep it for shorter periods. We also narrow the field my compressing to where the ball is leaving the opposite flank wide open. I can see city exploiting that this weekend with switch balls.

Offensively, we don’t seem good as we play narrow and if no options launch it to the penalty area. It relies a bit on forcing errors from the other team rather than beautifully crafted goals.

As such, we are set up to defend better and Nick a goal and as such if we can score first then yes we can pick up points. There are still talented individuals who can score.

I can see points from Brighton, Brentford, Chelsea and Arsenal as a possibility especially with a home ground for the harder games.

And I can see Roberts and Firpo lining up also. Anyway where there is hope there is life if we stuck with MB we probably be relegated by now.

[spaldy]

Re watched the game. Was harsh on my comment on KP. He spent much of the game supporting our back 4. I was wrong on the comment

They were better than us on the attack and midfield. We missed a holding mid like Forshaw badly. We also missed a true striker badly as well. We could not control the midfield and they used Zaha very well. He’s good enough he does not have to dive. He embarrasses himself and the male gender with his acting

Meslier was good

[ozleeds]

Re watched the game. Was harsh on my comment on KP. He spent much of the game supporting our back 4. I was wrong on the comment

They were better than us on the attack and midfield. We missed a holding mid like Forshaw badly. We also missed a true striker badly as well. We could not control the midfield and they used Zaha very well. He’s good enough he does not have to dive. He embarrasses himself and the male gender with his acting

Meslier was good

Connor for them was a man of the match but he did a couple of dives in the penalty area. Most of them do it it's the ugly part of the game where the refs were supossed to stamp out which at the start were imposing cards but somehow that has dissapeared.

[hopelesslyoptimistic]

Connor for them was a man of the match but he did a couple of dives in the penalty area. Most of them do it it's the ugly part of the game where the refs were supossed to stamp out which at the start were imposing cards but somehow that has dissapeared.

We don’t have clever midfielders like Olise and Gallagher (Rodrigo is not really a midfielder) and our compress the pitch tactics mean there is lots of space for those smart enough to find it. Phillips was good but playing in a DM 2 where the other DM isn’t used to that role meant he wasn’t on the ball enough as he is head and shoulders above the rest in the middle.

With Cooper and Phillips back Bielsa would probably have kept us up but we will never ever know.

Had some comments from Palace fans at the game and they were impressed with how hard we scrapped for everything but were a little perplexed as to how they didn’t win that one.

[Billyni]

We don't have any clever players at all. We are always giving away stupid scorable free kicks, pulling shirts in the penalty area, staying on our feet when other teams are winning penalties, defenders who think they are Cruyff.
Granted, apart from Raphinia, they are all hard working. However if you are more clever you can afford to work a little less hard. When was the last time a midfielder ever played a clever ball through to a forward.

[ozleeds]

We don't have any clever players at all. We are always giving away stupid scorable free kicks, pulling shirts in the penalty area, staying on our feet when other teams are winning penalties, defenders who think they are Cruyff.
Granted, apart from Raphinia, they are all hard working. However if you are more clever you can afford to work a little less hard. When was the last time a midfielder ever played a clever ball through to a forward.

That's not fair Billy I remember Cantona providing heaps and we scored from them.