The #LUFC Breakfast Debate (Monday 28th December)

  • Please bear with us on the new site integration and fixing any known bugs over the coming days. If you can not log in please try resetting your password and check your spam box. If you have tried these steps and are still struggling email [email protected] with your username/registered email address
  • Log in now to remove adverts - no adverts at all to registered members!
ellandback

ellandback

Well-Known Member
Forum Moderator
Mar 30, 2011
62,957
33,864
113
Southampton
You must log in or register to see images


Good Morning. It's Monday 28th December, and here are the latest headlines from Elland Road


Leeds scrap to victory as injury toll mounts

Marcelo Bielsa patched up a makeshift back three of Luke Ayling, Kalvin Phillips and Pascal Struijk for the visit of the Clarets at Elland Road yesterday lunchtime. The reason became abundantly clear when the Argentine revealed his squad, only to find that Diego Llorente was missing. It turns out a day into first team training, the Spanish International suffered a setback which will sideline the 27yo at least until the end of this year!

According to Bielsa in his post match press conference "He had a setback on Wednesday and from there he hasn't evolved," (I wish he'd evolve into a fit centre back)!!!!

When you put square pegs into round holes, there are repercussions. For all his efforts, Dallas was unable to have anything like the impact that Ayling's normally enjoys down the flank. Also, Klich's performance was woeful. Was this because he was conscious that Phillips was missing from his anchor role?

Let's have a look at some of the contentious moments of the game!

Leeds penalty

Ayling delivered a peach not think that is a stonewall penalty? of a ball from the left hand side of the half way line for Bamford to run on to, slicing the Claret's defence open! Pope tries to spread himself, and Bamford is tripped by Pope's outspread leg.

Does anyone (apart from Dyche) not think that is a stonewall penalty? The Burnley Manager believes the referee should have taken his time over the decision, and by doing so involved VAR. Agree?

Mee collides with Meslier. Equaliser chalked off.

How many times will the referee side with the goal keeper over the challenging player? 9/10?

Surely, that's all that happened? Do you think Leeds were lucky to have the goal chalked off?

Call me bias, but when you look at both teams on paper, the Leeds team looks far superior! Why was it then, that Burnley were all over us in the second half, leaving us clinging onto the victory by our finger nails. They changed their tactics, and cut off the supply route to Raphinha. Apart from Hernandes' surging run resulting in a fine save by Pope, Leeds were constantly on the back foot. Was it more luck than judgement that Burnley did not draw level? For all of Bielsa's qualities, would you say tactics and substitutions were his particular forte?

You must log in or register to see images


Post Match analysis

Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa

You must log in or register to see media

Clarets Manager Sean Dyche

You must log in or register to see media
 
Stonewall penalty.

We were lucky their goal was chalked off.

Didn't see it that we got lucky to get the win, a very good performances from our makeshift back 3, limited them to very few chances, for all the possession they had second half, and tbh we should have been 4-1 up at half time.
Don't agree we look better on paper, they had a lot of players out there with premier league and european experience.
Dyche is a twat, enough said on him
 
  • Like
Reactions: Marcos Barber, blonogasoven, FORZA LEEDS and 1 other person
Morning all....

Our penalty yes it was one BUT Bamford had over hit the touch, he was never going to reach it so fortunate in one way. I was more than a little concerned over him missing it but nobody was ever going to stop that penalty, one of the best I’ve seen taken in a long time.

Their goal it’s tricky as it couldn’t have stood as the ref had blown his whistle, the shot and goal went in after the whistle had already blown. If anything it was a knee in the back and a penalty to them but as the ref had blown effectively halting play it was never a question of should the goal have stood

Llorente, is he just unfortunate or is he going to be another who continuously spends more time on the treatment table?

Klich has been out of sorts for some time now

It was a good three points against a boring team who defend and hope to score from a set piece, if someone had said before the game Burnley will get 12 corners I’d have said that’s at least two goals conceded

Phillips is missed in the middle but he stood out as the best player on the pitch, several missed chances by us but a couple of quality saves and a block from Bamford prevented us from getting the second
 
Bamford got the ball before being felled by Pope so penalty and whenever a player jumps to head a ball and leaves both arms in a crucifix position he is blocking..... so no penalty and it was the crucifix arms the ref saw so blew for a foul. Funny hiw only 1 pundit mentioned the arms, everyone else going for the opposite. If you look at the side view you see a player not rising but going backwards into Meslier. No penalty.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Whitejock and Easternwhite
As I said yesterday....

Dyche has a point on the Leeds penalty. I think Pope gets a touch as Bamford tries to knock it past him. If you go back 20 years that's not a penalty. I think the argument is there to be had. Pope definitely gets the ball but he has the studs up and also takes the man after he gets the ball. I can see why its given but I don't think its stone wall. To be honest I would like the ref to explain what he saw and also VAR officials should clear this up. I understand Dyche questioning of it and I agree with him when he says he doesn't know where the game is nowadays.

As for the Meslier challenge. There is a question about his high knee. Other than that I see a high ball contested between two players. Meslier gets the run on him (and can use his hands) so gets higher and gets there first. Once he gets his hands on the ball then Mee is guilty of impeding him unintentionally. Its obstruction. It's a foul to Leeds. Correct decision. The only question is the knee but that's a keeper protecting himself. Everyone knows keepers are overly protected in todays game and this is an example. If Mee gets there first and Meslier then hits him then it's a penalty.

I thought the ref was poor for both sides in the first half but certainly gave us a few decisions in the second half.

As for us being lucky, I don't recall Meslier having to pull off any worldies to keep us in it. Wood probably should have done better with a first half header and we got lucky where the ball dropped after a couple of Meslier flaps second half but credit the team for the defensive efforts we have been craving these last few weeks. We certainly had the better chances throughout the game.

Its these gritty performances that count at the end of the season. It's great playing free flowing attacking football scoring lots of goals but its important that you can grind out the 1-0's that keep you up.

Good morning everyone by the way.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Whitejock, ristac, southernwhite and 1 other person
Had the Bamford/Pope incident occurred outside the box it would be deemed a foul by the majority of referees so it was a penalty. Winning the ball first doesn't apply in football anymore, any follow through with contact is a foul.

As for Meslier/Mee, both players were going for the ball, yes we got lucky. Happy to see the Barnes goal ruled out as he was impeding/blocking Meslier throughout the whole game behaving like a little bully

That slice of luck evens out some of the decisions gone against us this season.

Now everyone can see why I predicted Kalvin would play for England two years ago
You must log in or register to see images
our golden boy was magnificent leading the back line like a proper captain should do, time for a change on that score, sentiment doesn't come into it at this level. Ayling also showed his leading qualities at the back.

I've insisted since Koch became unavailable that aerial presence was required with Pascal Struijk the answer & by golly wasn't he just, he won 8 aerial challenges v the clarets with his partner Kalvin winning 3 headers restricting the usual Burnley air-dominance to a bare minimum.

Remember our defenders didn't win one aerial challenge v Chelsea

After conceding a glut of goals of late, our new makeshift defence maintains a clean sheet, I was absolutely proud of those three players who have enable Leeds United to win the three necessary points.
You must log in or register to see images
You must log in or register to see images
You must log in or register to see images


Clean sheets assists victories
You must log in or register to see images
 
  • Like
Reactions: Whitejock, lifecheshirewhite, NostradEmus and 5 others
The emergence of Struijk saves us having to go for CB cover in January. Absolute quality and is like a new signing anyway. If we'd bought him £15m in the summer we'd be saying what a great purchase he was.

In January I'd like us to buy a classy LB and get rid of Coco.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Marcos Barber, Whitejock, hemase and 3 others
FORZA LEEDS said:
The emergence of Struijk saves us having to go for CB cover in January. Absolute quality and is like a new signing anyway. If we'd bought him £15m in the summer we'd be saying what a great purchase he was.

In January I'd like us to buy a classy LB and get rid of Coco.
Click to expand...


I think a proper LB is priority, we never have been blessed with good ones, only a handful at best
 
  • Like
Reactions: ristac and FORZA LEEDS
Gessa said:
I think a proper LB is priority, we never have been blessed with good ones, only a handful at best
Click to expand...
Still think we have the 2 best full backs in the Prem2 league, so why buy when you can promote. Cody Dramah having a great season playing anywhere along the back line. Niall Huggins is awesome at LB and a much better option than Alioski. Higgins is faster and more skilful too and hes displaced Leif Davies
 
  • Like
Reactions: Marcos Barber, Whitejock and blonogasoven
Doc said:
Still think we have the 2 best full backs in the Prem2 league, so why buy when you can promote. Cody Dramah having a great season playing anywhere along the back line. Niall Huggins is awesome at LB and a much better option than Alioski. Higgins is faster and more skilful too and hes displaced Leif Davies
Click to expand...


Then if ready they need playing doc, because Alioski isn't a full back, he looks ok at times going forward but he can't defend
 
  • Like
Reactions: ristac and Doc
Gessa said:
Then if ready they need playing doc, because Alioski isn't a full back, he looks ok at times going forward but he can't defend
Click to expand...
Totally agree and when you look at the reason why our 23s are top of the keague you know the Prem2 League for elite clubs.....
Its because we have the best back line in Dramah, Cresswell, Casey and Huggins. We also have the best forward line in Greenwood and Gelhardt and any of those 6 players could make an impact
 
  • Like
Reactions: Whitejock and Gessa
My view on talking points:
  • Pope might have had the slightest touch but wiped Bamford out in the process so a penalty;
  • We were fortunate that the ref favoured Meslier and chalked off the equaliser. I would say the high knee and jumping into Mee was more the issue than obstruction or a foul so yes we were lucky there;
As somebody has already said it doesn't really matter as the only stat that counts is 1-0 to us 3 much needed points in the bag. Just need to back this up by beating West Brom to build a bit of a comfort zone going into 2021.
 
  • Like
Reactions: xbpod, FORZA LEEDS and ristac
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back