Good Morning. It's Friday 11th February, and here are the latest headlines from Elland Road Barcelona line up Meslier bid Spanish Sporting News outlet Mundo Deportivo have linked Illan Meslier with a €20m move to the Nou Camp in the Summer. The 21yo has established himself as one of the best keepers in the Premiership since promotion to the top flight was gained in 2020. His performances have caught the eye of many top European heavyweights, such as Paris St-Germain, though no official bid was ever made. Barcelona Manager, Xavi, is looking for a new shot stopper as German International Marc-Andre Ter Stegen has a persistent knee problems, and second choice Neto is expected to leave the Nou Camp at the end of the season. Last Summer, Mesier signed a new long term deal, tying him down until the Summer of 2026. please log in to view this image Conceding goals is more about tactics than the actual individual defenders Elland Road journalist Phil Hay has questioned the defensive strategy of the back four rather than blaming the individual players themselves. Whilst the high press which Bielsa implements is fantastic to watch, it continually leaves us over exposed at the back. Leeds have conceded 43 times this season so far, compared to 38 this time last season. The biggest difference is goals scored. Without Bamford, we are twelve goals worse off (39 in 20/21 after 22 games, compared to 27 this term). Only Newcastle and Watford have conceded more goals than Leeds this season, and Hay believes that opposition players are able to counter too easily, and suddenly all the good work Leeds have done, has been undone! "When you talk about the defence at Leeds, it's more a discussion about structure than the back four. Bielsa's tactics and defensive strategy has always been based on pressing and energy from the top of the team backwards. One of the issues is the way that opposition sides cut through the middle and get Leeds on the run. That was evident on Wednesday night, it's not a new thing. But I found it quite interesting that there's been so much talk about centre forwards when actually, what's happening at the other end of the field is just as much of a factor in results". "The first (of Villa's goals) was a classic ploy of pull someone (Ayling) miles out of position, beat him one on one and exploit the space that leaves. It's an established tactic against Bielsa". "The way Leeds concede goals puts so much pressure on them. You saw it at Villa Park, you saw it against Brentford and also at West Ham (although they were able to win that game). They can play really well and put themselves in a great position and then suddenly, the pressure’s on. And as a rule, I wouldn’t say you’d look at too many of the goals they concede and say they were outstanding". please log in to view this image Struijk can join the ER Elite Pascal Struijk will soon join the Elland Road elite, according to Leeds journalist Phil Hay. The 6ft 3' centre back is set for his 50th appearance on Saturday against Everton, four years (and a few days) after joining Leeds from Ajax for a nominal sum. Struijk, 22, has become one of the big success stories under Bielsa's reign, and his performances are getting better and better. According to Hay:- "I feel like you can put Struijk in the bracket of high value players at Leeds - with Phillips, Raphinha, Meslier. He wouldn't command as high a fee as them at this stage but a little further down the line, I think he'll be worth a lot of money. Between his comfort on the ball and his body shape, he's got everything you need in a centre back". please log in to view this image
Morning all Meslier has to be worth nearly double that figure but this is the problem all teams face, when big guns come knocking, you turn down a 20m figure saying he’s worth 40m and the agent knocks on the door and asks “if he’s playing like a 40m player he needs paying accordingly”. I think Meslier is good, he could become great but we really need him to have some competition or at least a decent back up in case he gets injured. I’d rather sell Llorente before Struijk, actually I’d rather sell neither but Struijk is my first choice CB
great thread Ell! Leeds conceding after being caught in possession with players ahead of the ball is common knowledge, yet not many teams actually capitalise because they're not good enough ... this will settle down as players return and the confidence continues to grow Meslier must be at least £35m now, he's an established Prem player and I can see him getting an improved long-term contract next season when I watched Struijk in U23s a lot it was clear he was a class act ... calm, consistent and very good passing ability ... he's also confident bringing the ball out of defence, and you can see him becoming a world class player ... I rate him as better than Ben White for the simple reason that the Arsenal player seems to have gotten a bit big headed and arrogant since going there, a sign that the dressing room he's in doesn't set the best example for young players ... after next season you will see clubs coming in with big bids for Struijk, which once again is a massive credit to the genius of Bielsa and his ability to recognise talent and then coach them and improve them to a standard way beyond their expectations
I'd be interested to know the stats of conceding goals when KP is playing and when he isn't. He surely would have done a better job on Coutinho than Ayling did in the first half.
Yep. Featherstone Rovers rugby and obviously the Whites, saw both for the first time 1964 ish, maybe Rovers a bit before that.
Evening all, There would be very little point selling young Meslier for £20 million as it would take at least that to replace him.
