The #LUFC Breakfast Debate (Monday 18th October)

Who wrote Koch off.....never mentioned him.....fact

 

Koch has played 17 times out of a possible 46 if you add cup games it’s around 51 games. He has featured or been selected 1/3rd of the possible games we’ve played, I just can’t agree that he is being missed at the moment. Dallas has played LB far more times than Firpo who has been off the pace since his arrival, seriously mate, that team out there against Southampton who also had two key members missing and who’d sold players like Ings should have done better.

Our defence was okay on Saturday it was the rest that let us down. There goal actually came from Rodrigo having the ball at his feet and loosing it in the attacking third and our best defender Llorente losing his man

 

We use him for special occassions!

 

it's usually me who writes him off... because he's a defensive liability

 

I’d certainly put him behind Llorente and Struijk even Creswell but I’ve high hopes for him. Sadly it seems both Koch and Llorente are made of glass. If we get through this season and we can keep him injury free I’m expecting two from Koch, Struijk and Llorente next season

 

For me a fully fit Koch and Llorente is number 1 CB pairing. I believe Cooper will be bench warming and probably behind Cresswell. I have a feeling Struijk may go to Belgium or Holland. I see Dallas on the bench too and Ayling being pushed and maybe on the bench, but by Drameh unless Shaks does something. I see Roberts gone and maybe even Klich back to Poland. Next season will be big changes for me and maybe without Bielsa

 

completely agree that we need another quality midfielder who can play DM... and that stuijk isn't a defensive midfielder... but he wasn't used as one on Saturday. We played 3 at the back - as we do every time the opposition plays two up front. Reality is we're not very good when we do that even if Phillips is playing... when he's not it's a disaster.

People can slag off the players all they want, but there's a reason why 'everyone plays well' some games and 'everyone plays badly' in others... it's not down to them, it's down to how they're set up. I love bielsa but he's not beyond reproach, this one is on him.

Irrespective of our missing players... it's an occupational hazard for a football manager to have players missing... if the player's don't have an outball they can't build play. Outpressed and outnumbered in midfield... no-one to give the ball too, leads to pressure and mistakes. He's utterly inflexible on his mantra of always having a spare centre half. It might be a good strategy but he's never in my view got this side playing really well with that formation. If i was playing leeds i'd always start with two up top... we disrupt our pattern of play for the worse before a ball is kicked.

I'm probably wrong, it's probably all roberts fault

 

that can only be on reputation Doc... nothing he's done in a leeds shirt would suggest Koch would be a first choice centre back for any premier league team... nice footballer, but never adapted to the defensive side of premier league football. Maybe he needs time to adapt to bielsaball, adjust to the pace of the PL, cope with the physicality... maybe with a long run in the team it could happen, i hope so for him and us

 

Spot on milky

Struijk played in the centre of a back three for the whole 95 mins, which meant we played a two in central midfield and it just never worked. Started out as Klich & Roberts and finished with Dallas & Forshaw but it would have made no difference who was playing there as that set up means we are forever one player short of our usual shape.

Marcelo moved players around but he never deviated from that back three even when we were chasing the game. That in my opinion was a mistake, granted it is with hindsight after the result is known but I was thinking the same on Saturday as well.

 

Doc if Struijk ends up playing in Belgium or Holland for the start of next season I’ll have a scum avatar for a month. If he doesn’t end up there you’ll do the same. Want the bet?

 

One thing I've noticed this season is whenever Rapha has been subbed or taken out the game this season out attacking play has gone with it.
He Didn't start sat and we didn't have a attacking threat. Strange but true.
Klich's football brain is still there but the legs aren't he's a 30/45 min man in my eyes now in our system.

On Koch I thought he got better with every game but we just not seeing enough of him sadly. I honestly think he would be a regular if fit.
Sadly we are just not in a position to carry injuries and the way this squad is trained and run into the ground by Biesa we probably get more than our fair share.
That team out there on Saturday would struggle to keep us up going off that performance is it a one off? I hope so as we could well be putting similar teams out like this in the future when the shyte hits the fan.

 

If we had to play a defensive midfielder, it should have been Llorente, with Struijk partnering Cooper at centre back, but in all honesty, this is how I would have played.

------------------------Meslier---------------------------
Shacks ------Llorente------Struijk----------James
Summerville-----Klich------Dallas------Harrison
-----------------Rodrigo------Gelhardt---------------


Klich and Dallas have a good understanding together.

James has the energy, speed and ability to run up and down the line all day.

James and Harrison overlapping would have caused Southampton lots of trouble.

Playing 4-1-4-1, we are reliant on our full backs getting forward. Shaks and Dallas are not as strong bombing down the wings.

 

I thought we might go a week without any injuries.

 

I was brought up on 4-4-2 formation and that looks better to me

 

Don’t encourage him Heidi

 

We have never really looked comfortable playing with the back 3. It's Bielsa's preferred formation but we just don't click the same.

 

With our injuries, its our most balanced side imo

 

Many fans were asking for more opportunities for the younger players. Summerville, Gelhardt and Cresswell have all been given PL debuts this season and Shackleton has been given a run of games.

 

I’d like to see Gelhardt start next game, Cresswell looks well on course to be pushing for a start next season, jury is out still on how near Summerville is