Good Morning. It's Monday 23rd September, and here are the Leeds Utd headlines Bielsa - (Nketiah and Bamford) I need to know how I combine both of them In Bielsa's post match presser, the gaffer explained that playing two central defenders behind Bamford was better suited to productive attacking football and if he sacrificed a midfielder for Nketieh, Leeds would suffer because they would be less creative! "The game consists in attack and defence," "If when you attack you create 10 chances more than the opponent, you can not be sad for the style of the team." "I think that your question is linked with the presence of Nketiah and Bamford together, because maybe we can be more efficient with those two players in the team, two goalscorers are in better condition to take advantage of 10 chances," "But we should see which player we take out from the team and what is going to be the result if we take out one player behind the attackers," continued Bielsa. "My answer is, if we play with two goalscorers, maybe we take Forshaw, Klich or Shackleton out, I think that one centre forward without two midfielders behind him is going to worsen the building of the attack. "So if you have two centre forwards in a team that doesn't create a lot of chances, you cannot take advantage of the resource that you have. "This is my way of thinking but I'm not sure that it is like that. "When I put Nketiah on the pitch, I was thinking of taking out Klich and that Eddie and Bamford play together, Bamford behind Eddie. But to take this decision I have to be convinced. "I have started to know some players, in the case of Nketiah for example, I need to know how I combine both of them. "[Against Barnsley] The opponent, they create 10 chances, we create 15 and we won 2-0 and today the opponent created one chances and we drew the match. "If you see the difference in chances, 10 and 15, is a higher percentage than one to 10, so if we want to analyse, we cannot avoid this discussion. "Probably what I am saying now is going to be commented as an excessive answer, but if we don't analyse, if we don't talk about this, we just have to say it was one draw and the analysis is finished. "That is the reason I sometimes ask the journalist, if what I saw is different to what most of you have seen on the pitch." please log in to view this image The Stats Week after week we dominate matches (as we can see from the statistics below, taken from the weekend). There has not been one game this season where the opposition have outplayed us yet we continue to drop points! Completed Passes 1 Fulham 548 2 Leeds United 507 3 Brentford 489 4 West Bromwich Albion 431 5 Luton Town 407 6 Swansea 352 7 Reading 340 8 Preston North End 327 Tackles 1 Cardiff City 25 2 Stoke City 25 3 Leeds United 23 4 Barnsley 23 5 Bristol City 22 6 Wigan Athletic 21 7 Sheffield Wednesday 18 Aeriel Success 1 Hull City 72% 2 Nottingham Forest 64% 3 West Bromwich Albion 63% 4 Derby County 62% 5 Brentford 59% 6 Birmingham City 59% 7 Fulham 58% Passing Accuracy % 1 Fulham 84% 2 West Bromwich Albion 84% 3 Brentford 84% 4 Leeds United 83% 5 Luton Town 83% 6 Swansea City 77% 7 Reading 77% 8 Hull City 76% Possession 1 Fulham 71% 2 West Bromwich Albion 65% 3 Brentford 64% 4 Leeds United 63% 5 Luton Town 60% 6 Swansea 57% 7 Reading 54% 8 Middlesbrough 54% Shots on target 1 West Bromwich Albion 7 2 Leeds United 5 3 Millwall 5 4 Barnsley 5 5 Sheffield Wednesday 5 6 Blackburn Rovers 5 #Rovers Total shots 1 Wigan Athletic 17 2 West Bromwich Albion 17 3 Reading 16 4 Swansea 15 5 Hull City 14 6 QPR 14 (Leeds had 13) please log in to view this image In other News Any excuses for Klich's penalty miss? Is the Polish International the best choice of spot kick takers? Who is Leeds best penalty taker of all time? Kalvin Philips had a heated discussion with a small minority of Leeds fans in the Kop, upon the final whistle. One of these so called fans threw a missile at Phillips, it missed, and hit a 5yo child in the face. Hernandez has not looked his best recently! Should the 34yo be rested now and again, especially with the high intensity that Bielsa demands! Derby Manager Cocu: “I said to the players ‘stay in the game’ because the way they play - which is really good - they’re expending a lot of energy. To keep this going for 90 minutes is difficult I think.” Were Leeds tired? Leeds legend Peter Lorimer suffered a fall hitting his head prior to Saturdays game against Derby. The 72yo was patched up by the first aiders at Elland Road. Fortunately an ambulance was not needed, and the all time great was allowed to go home. After the game, the Leeds Utd social media boo boys were out in force, pointing the finger at Jack Harrison for the second or third game running!!! please log in to view this image
Morning all. I would like to see more players encouraged to have a shot at goal. We should be getting more goals from mid field players. Don't leave it all to Bamford and Eddie
Morning all... What Bielsa says makes perfect sense, in an ideal world we need a Bamford who is more clinical in front of goal, or an Eddy that can do the other things Bamford offers. Leeds penalty taker, Gary McAllister. I just don’t understand the minority of fans sometimes, what was the altercation over, anyone know? I agree Pablo hasn’t been firing on all cylinders but we looked worse after the substitutions.
It's frustrating when the team doesnt get the win with so much of the ball and Chances. I am not sure I need to remind everyone that before Bielsa it was neither chances nor possession and pretty dour football. Trust in the system, I feel a few heavy wins coming up. Bielsa will play Costa and Eddie from the start when they are ready. Have faith, still top of the league! It will come have faith ALAW
Johnny Giles is our best all-time penalty taker without a shadow of doubt. Some of you young uns won't remember one of our top three players of all-time......top class
The Douglas for Pablo substitution was ridiculous Rich Unless Hernandez was carrying a knock after he was clattered from behind Pablo should never be subbed until the game is won, we created nothing in the last 25 minutes. As for Douglas I wouldn't have him anywhere near our first team, he's slow, deliberate, gets caught out of position, can't defend & the assists/goals he was renown for at Wolves have never materialised. Davis is our best LB but he's not going to get the nod ahead of Alioski & Douglas, unfortunate as young Leif hasn't let us down in his five appearances for Leeds When Ayling is fit I'd bring him back in at RB & move Dallas to LB, hope it doesn't affect Stuart's game as he has been sensational this season, it's like having a new signing
Spot on Milky, you assumed right Giles was hard as nails & a dirty little sod at times but the quality he possessed was of the highest order, top class
Yep. Giles and bremner were the heartbeat of that side. Lots of very good players and worthy internationals... Two world class ones.
Good morning 1964 I just don't think Alioski brings the best out of Harrison down the left, I prefer having Douglas and Harrison in tandem and then if we need to bring Costa on then we can see if their old Wolves form can be reignited. Okay Douglas came on and Costa filled Pablo's position, I see what Bielsa was doing but it went pear shaped prior to that. We need Bamford and Eddy in the same starting 11 but I fully see what Bielsa is saying, we create chances because of the shape of the team and the team effort, once one cog stops working right the rest grind to a halt. Last season we played Roberts at 10 but this season we are not playing the same formation as Klich Shackleton/Forshaw are more box to box midfield players. I'd like to see us go back to last seasons formation with a proper number 10 and I don't care if we try Eddy, Bamford, Pablo or Costa at 10 I think we are more of a threat with any one from Shackleton, Forshaw and Klich I'd happily have Dallas at LB and Ayling return
Bamfords stats tell you a lot if you recognise it. 24 shots on target, which is only 37.5% of all his shots or attempts, that is a very bad stat for a main striker. Nikita has played way less minutes, has 11 shots on target at 45.5% of all shots/attempts on goal. Means Nikita's shots are close to 1 shot on target for every 2 shots/attempts. Those stats will change, either way if he starts matches..............At moment it means Nikita is way out in front stats wise, especially when you compare minutes played on a pro rata basis. Bielsa's not a fan of playing 2 upfront, as he says, it means dropping a valuable player, more valuable than Bamford. Pablo's slightly off the boil, but still manages those cheeky passes and through balls, could it be since Forshaw got injured.
Tbf and not knocking the guy, the amount of analysis he does on other teams and the work he makes the players do to nulify them, you would think he'd know what to do to be able to accommodate both Bamford and Nketiah in the same team, especially at home, he is after all the most esteemed coach out there. Eddie is not suited to the lone striker role for 90 minutes and when the time arrives that he's given that role, there will be some gobsmacked fans of ours.
I take little notice of stats, they actually mean feck all. The only one that means anything is the final score. How many of Bamfords 62.5% shots off target have whistled past the post or hit it like Saturday, classed as off target and how many of Eddie's on target, just rolled to the keeper or he was able to make a simple save. Eddie as been guilty of 3 glaring misses, 2 Stoke in cup , 1 Swansea, if that was Bamford he would have been slaughtered. I'd really like to see both start, would improve both their games.
Was at selhurst park for that one in what passed for a director’s box. Carlton palmer of all people scored an otherwise goal of the month contender and then yeboah did that a few minutes later. Talk about stealing someone’s thunder. We watched it over and over again at half time, dumbstruck. People all around the ground were just shaking their heads. Never seen a football hit so hard. Prefer the Liverpool goal myself as i’m a sucker for spectacular volleys.
From memory the commentators mentioned Pablo was still suffering from the previous bad tackle on him. At moment I think Dallas will keep Ayling out, Dallas can also score and shoot, Ayling can't shoot very well. I agree about Douglas.
A defender can also block a shot and it’s classed as off target if he wasn’t the last line of defence
