please log in to view this image Leeds Utd v Bristol City Saturday 15th February 2020 15.00 | Elland Road Bristol City are the visitors to Elland Road on Saturday as Leeds look to try and put some distance between themselves in 2nd place, and the chasing pack. The Whites currently occupy the second automatic promotion place, ahead of Fulham on a goal difference of just three. Should Leeds falter, any of the next 5 play off hopefuls (Bristol City included) could theoretically overtake Leeds for the first time since October (although Preston would need to overturn a seven goal goal difference and the Robins would need to beat Leeds by eight). Leeds will be without Adam Forshaw for the rest of the season. The 28yo has travelled to the States to have an operation on his hip. Tyler Roberts remains on the treatment table too. Leeds will be relieved to have Kalvin Phillips back at the heart of their midfield. The 24yo was inspirational for the Whites midweek at Griffin Park following his 3 match suspension. You never know, maybe the rest did him good? Bielsa has two tough decisions to be made at both ends of the pitch. Casilla has been out of form since mid December, and after his unforgivable error against the Bees midweek, will the Argentine hand French U20 International Meslier his league debut? Bamford has also received a lot of slack for not putting away opportunities though to be fair playing as a lone striker without any aerial support, and having to do his fair share of tracking back, I can see he has a thank less task! Should Bielsa partner Bamford and Augustin together up front? It would be a rare change of tactic (last changed in 1985) which would ultimately give both forwards more space in the box?
Maybe Bielsa has an excuse to rest Casilla with the FA charge looming? Who knows, maybe it has been weighing on his mind and has contributed to his loss of form. I agree with another poster who said that he never makes saves that you wouldn't expect him to make. He's a good footballing goalkeeper but is he a good goalkeeper. I think the importance of him being a footballer is that he can play as a sweeper but with the errors he's made recently do the defence trust him? If they don't trust him as they used to then you have to look at him as just a goalkeeper and I'm not sure he's that good. My opinion
It's not a gradual loss of form. He's been a liability since he first arrived. This 'early season' form that some talk about was an illusion - he had very little to do and the few saves that he made were routine for a Sunday League keeper let alone a £40k a week professional. Having said that, and knowing how loyal Bielsa is to his players, I think we'll be subjected to his nerve wracking clownish antics for this game - hopefully his last.
I think my views on casilla are probably well known. I don’t know whether a ‘must win game’ exists at this stage of the season but this is pretty close to it. We need to get on a winning run with a friendly looking fixture list. Brizzle are in my view the worst of the promotion candidates. To some degree forest, Bristol and Preston are all there due to an ability to nick results in games they don’t really deserve anything from - a useful knack to have but it would be very disappointing if we don’t dispatch this lot. They’ve had a decent run of results but generally against poorer sides. They have a very tough run in and I’d be surprised to see them make top 6. clearly we’re capable of snatching defeat against anyone so not tempting fate... just pointing out that anything other than 3 points will be a big disappointment.
Our away form is very good though - strangely better than our home form. Let’s hope you go into the game thinking along those lines!
a few sides like that fella this year. Anyone can beat anyone in this league. generally we come unstuck against the poorer sides... so if you beat us it just proves my point just giving my opinion on what I’ve seen and read about your lot this year. You’ll know better than me whether you you are one of the top 6 sides or not.
He won't start JKA alongside Bamford. Bielsa is nothing if not a man of his word. He said we started the season with Nketiah and Clarke, they both left so needed replacing. I just didn't realise we would replace with exactly the same, a forward he doesn't want to play ahead of Bamford and a winger in Poveda the can't make the match day squad
At least the 200 u23,s brought in by Orta have been a roaring success and are making a huge impact in the senior team
he’s had a bit of a pop at him indirectly in the past... pointing out how much money they wasted in year 1.
Wonder how long a contract orta got for himself. Bet it would cost a fortune to pay him off. Rads is a great businessman is he not.
This where we could be if we lose. This is a must win game to boost confidence, and a confidence game to boost moral, both seem to be lacking. If we lose we could end up in 5th in playoffs. Chances are Fulham may beat Barnsley, I say may cos Barnsley will be feeling a sense of urgency to avoid relegation. Brentford Brum game is a not sure game. Brentford didn't play that well against us, but neither did we. Pep has got Brums confidence up and playing well, Brum could nick that one, probably a draw. Forest v WBA. Who do wish to win.................Forest! so it's easier to catch WBA, or WBA! so we put distance between us and Forest, if we win. WBA had a bad run of form alongside us, I said they were due to come out of there's, and they have by winning their last 3 games, we've lost 2 and drawn 1, hardly confidence building form. Preston Millwall has draw written all over it, but like the rest of the chasing pack, they know a win will catch us, goal difference being the only difference. Preston are boasting good form which has seen'em move up to 6th place in playoffs on goal difference, and 3 points from second. Bristol City will be brimming with confidence, they've won 6 of their last 8 games, and 1 draw 1 loss I believe. Bristol will probably come at us (just like other teams) from the off to try and gain the advantage with a quickish first goal. If what some are saying, we look tired, then fitness will not be a factor, maybe for Bristol more than us. The pack have caught us thanks to WBA and Leeds bad run of form which saw an 11 point lead dwindle (just like last year) to equal on points with Fulham. Here's our biggest problem apart from Bielsa,, The chasing pack are now nipping, no, chomping at our heels like pacman, and they are very hungry, more hungry than we are it seems. Teams know how to beat us cos Bielsa doesn't know how to beat them, that includes lower half teams. If we lose, chances are we'll be in playoffs, other teams confidences will be up against us, not only that, the players will have to listen to opposing fans taking the piss for most of game. There's a lot more to losing this game than some people think. If we lose, not only will it prove Bielsa is a stubborn one trick pony with no other capabilities, but the fans may well start to turn on him, the media will. If we win, it will still prove Bielsa is a stubborn one trick pony with no other capabilities until he puts a winning run together, even then he'll still be stubborn continually playing a forward line that ain't scoring enough. Let's hope we win and other results go in our favour.