Without a doubt, we have the best team in the division. We also have a keeper that is nowhere near the best in the division, and a coach who last season, wasn’t able to change the way a game was going. Tanaka and Rothwell would not be playing if Gruev and Ampadu were both fit, would we be top of the league without them. I’m hopeful that we can create a gap from 3rd down now, if we do, I will expect nerves to play a part like they did last season. I hope Farke rotates those whose game goes to pieces if it does happen again, dropping Gnonto yesterday for Solomon was a great move. Yesterday, Sky put a stat up of Swansea scoring first in a game, 21 times when they’ve scored first they’ve not lost until yesterday, 15 wins and 6 draws
I don’t speak Guinness but I do have schoolboy miserable Irishman. so I’m pretty sure it was on the lines of ‘enjoyable game but, mark my words, we’re doooooomed if we reach the Prem with this squad.’ not like you to find a grey cloud around every silver lining though, is it?
I completely take London’s point… it’s a results game and they ‘should’ even themselves out over a season. But they often don’t. The reason football is so popular is its unpredictability - and the fact that you can have results like our 10 man win at Man City a few years ago where we pretty much score with our only attacks and they have a day where they have 27 shots and score 1. Recently I watched boro batter Norwich and end up drawing 3-3 conceding two worldies and a complete fluke. That sort of thing has happened to them throughout the first part of the season … then the last few matches suddenly it’s all changed. Sometimes this all ‘evens out’ over a season and sometimes it doesn’t. That’s not how ‘luck’ works. There’s no mystical force that tots up the effects over a season and says today is leeds turn for a dodgy penalty and a shinned deflected winner against the run of play. if a side has a player who typically scores 2 long range goals a season and he scores them home and away against your team and puts them in row z against everyone else… what does that have to do with anyone being the best team? But if he scores in both games against Leeds and hits the bar in both games against Sheffield united that one player could be responsible for up to an 8 point swing between us and them You can argue Best team is subjective. People in the game and bookies look at who’s creating the most chances relative to giving the most chances up… , xg etc - because that’s more controllable and reflective of performances, than whether a striker buries a chance or scuffs it, It’s also why Emu and I are the only 2 Leeds fans who think marsh was unlucky
I think he felt previously that with a 10 and two wingers - that two defensive minded midfielders offered more balance. Maybe we'd have won 1-0 yesterday instead of 4-3. It's hard to say. All fit, personally, I'd play Ampadu and Tanaka with the other 2 on the bench depending on how the game went. I do think also though that playing the two defensive midfielders would give licence to play Gnonto as a 10 instead of Aaronson and offer more attacking threat that way. I think the good thing is, with Largie coming back also... we do/will have a variety of options.
The lack of options seem to have worked in Farkes favour, I am hoping with the return of Largie, Wober and Solomon up to full speed and with Ampadu set for an earlier than expected return we can really push on from this position, things must be getting better, nobody cares if Bamford is fit or not
Finger's crossed. Have to give credit to Tanaka and Rothwell for stepping up when chucked in at the deep end... especially Tanaka, new to the league and country.
Difficult one, I like Rothwell, he really drives forward with the ball, something that our other midfielders don’t. Tanaka is beginning to remind me of a (not quite as good as) Kante, even the commentators yesterday said it was like there were two of him on the pitch, the same was often said of Kante.
With realism like yours, there’s a cabinet minister position awaiting in Starmers govt. you’d fit right in provided you can eradicate your occasional blips of optimism.