We all know we need goals and have needed goals for 2 seasons. We fans and the local media have all said the same, a striker and a LB needed ages ago. We have the LB but now what do we do about that new goal scorer. At the club we have Bamford - injured for 18 months and not likely back for at least another month. Bamford Rodrigo Gnonto Gelhardt Joseph Rodrigo like him or not is smashing it for us, but needs support, he needs the ball because the goals he’s scoring he is creating himself. Would have thought Marsch might recognise this and set the team up to provide for him? So if we buy a striker what do we do about Gelhardt? As front 3 players we have: Gnonto Sinisterra Harrison Summerville Rodrigo Joseph Perkins Gelhardt Aaronson Greenwood Bamford So I believe any striker/Forward brought in means we need to move out either on loan or sell someone because it’s unsustainable to have too many forwards. Bamford has broken this team because he hurt Bielsa and now Marsch has relied on a cripple to the detriment of the team. Get rid of Bamford and bring in a new goalscorer. Try playing 4-4-2 because the system we are using isn’t too good is it. Modern football now uses the false 9 and Man City used it ever since they lost Aguero and used Sterling, Fordham and a couple more players in that role and win the league time after time. However this season they now have a proper No9 but are not winning the league and keep falling further behind Arsenal. Yes Haaland is breaking hearts and records but the team are worse? So what do we need?
Good question Doc and I guess the answer is we need goals. Rodrigo, Summerville, Harrison & Sinisterra have all shown they’re capable of scoring, with perhaps only Gnonto to add to that list (plus Bamford if he’s ever fit again). In theory then we just need to get as many of those players as possible on the pitch at the same time to score enough goals. It’s one of the main reasons I’m against the Roca & Adams partnership in midfield because we’re basically fielding 6 defensive players. Now if we were super tight at the back then fair enough, but that's definitely not the case.
I think we have the attackers but it is the link up play, those around Adams and the defenders not getting the ball forward enough or losing possession Even under Bielsa if we played a defensive team we ran out of ideas if Pablo wasn't playing, now in the PL it isn't so much a team playing defensive, it is just a case they have decent defenders Roca and Aaronson have not been good enough, those replacing them equally as guilty
I'd like to sell Rodrigo while he can still score goals and has some value Gelhardt just hasn't "kicked on" - he needs to leave for another club where he'd be a starter. The only question is whether to loan him out or sell him Bamford is a "busted flush" now. No club would buy him, so let him run out his contract, then retire. We might get the odd game from him. I'd like to get an established out-and-out striker. I like Viktor Gyokeres, but it seems Coventry City are not willing to sell. But I think we should at least test their resolve with an offer around £20 million (maybe include James and/or Gelhardt in the deal ?) We need a good midfielder. I can think of a few like Maddison, but not too many in our budget. Sander Berge maybe ?
To be fair I’m a big fan of Rodrigo but must agree that if we can sell him in the summer we should get a decent price for him especially if he can double his tally, because a 20 goal striker from the Prem means a very good striker. The new Spain manager will also want him involved too. If his goals keep us up this season his £27m transfer fee is money well spent. Rodrigo has to be classed in the Cooper, Ayling, Klich, Forshaw category so yes a top striker in early 20s please
Jeez we finally get someone banging in the goals and everyone wants to sell him. What a flipping strange bunch on here. Oh and I've been saying for ages that the real value in Rodrigo potentially lies in the future as he's the type to mature like a fine wine.
As Rich as alluded too a few times now, a striker seems less important to the team than a natural LB and a creative midfielder. Rodrigo can go missing in games but is coming up with the goods, lots of strikers can be the same. He just needs better service and we could see an even better return. Jack looked like his better self last night, which is promising if he stays. We have a few creatators in the team but the midfield link is what's weak in that regard, getting the ball to them. Jimmy's touch for Willie's goal was a great piece of football, we just need to get it to them more.
Totally agree Jammy. Goal scoring is not our main problem, our goals for is pretty good, although it could be better if we had a quality creative am, we never replaced pablo. Our main problem is the back four, seems jesse or non of us really know the best combination, add to that the schoolboy passing errors is why we concede so many, which is our downfall.
No strike coming is just my opinion.a creative strong midfielder is a priority. Roca is not working for me and needs benching. Forshaw is a cripple and he is finished.
I like Roca. He's the one who can play through the lines. He's gone in to his shell a bit recently and he's not playing those 30 or 40 yard passes he needs to make. Must be a confidence thing, i dunno. When he is on his game he makes the team tick. I'd go as far to say that when Roca plays well, Leeds play well.
The issue I'm having with Roca is when the opposition have possession and are breaking fast and I'm talking about general midfield turnovers not when we're all up the pitch for a set piece etc. Whereas it seems you're just focused on when he has the ball. As a midfielder who's generally defensive all facets of the game are important and unfortunately he's lacking where and when we need him most.
A front 4 of Rodrigo, Sinisterra, Gnoto, Harrison & Summerville should be used. Buy a new striker ala the Coventry striker, Diaz or Adams to push Rodrigo. We won’t sell Bamford so relieve the pressure on him so he can get back fit in his own time by buying a new striker and if he does ever get fit worse case will be that we have 3 strikers fighting for a place but we can’t just leave it to chance because we’ve got no one to play up front that’s good enough if Rodrigo gets injured right now. Loan out Gelhardt as he needs games but he’s not ready for 90 minutes in the PL and see what he’s about. We can then keep or sell for a decent fee if he does well, if he doesn’t do well he becomes another player to send on loan and run his contract down. Think it’s telling that 2 managers haven’t trusted him and I think he’s living off potential at the moment. Aaronson has gone off the boil and we need a Pablo/Klich replacement, an 8/10 type who can create goals, space and hold the ball up well.
Bet Corberan at WBA would love Gelhardt on loan along with Alfie McCalmont. Remember Corberan wanted to take Alfie to Huddersfield with him and Alfie is past his sell by date now at Leeds so I wonder. Carlos loved having Joffy…
Probably suit Albion, seen them a few times pre Christmas, Dike is a bit of a lump, Assante scores some crackers but appears more an impact sub for them atm.
Re striker. We have a lot of talented kids coming through… but are they ready to score the goals Rodrigo does if he gets crocked? That’s the only dilemma. Not sure that I agree rod makes all his own goals. On the contrary I’d say he has benefitted from the marsch system, making smart direct runs in transition and getting picked out by players breaking in that narrow formation we all hate. Don’t see goals as our problem at the moment, but without rod it could be. Re Roca my concern with roca before we signed him was his lack of athleticism for the role in this league. It’s still my concern but they have dovetailed him and Adams to mitigate it. I think the 2 pivots is meant to provide more central defensive safety to counter the gaps we leave outside. Like any armchair analysis, at face value you think Adams is so mobile he can do that job and we’d create more with another midfielder further forward. Maybe we would, maybe it would just fck something else up. Maybe we’d have sides streaming through the middle like they did with bielsa. Biggest problem with roca for me is form. His passing range was good early on. Recently he can’t hit a barn door with a banjo, Marsch himself doesn’t put too much emphasis on formations. He claims there are multiple variations and they vary it in and out of possession in different phases of play. All above my pay grade.
Yeah, he seems physically weak and doesn't have much pace. I actually think he is becoming more aggressive defensively but let's be clear, he's no Kalvin Phillips. I see him more as a deep lying playmaker. When teams break on us it all seems to be a bit quick for him. I think that's where Adams is supposed to compliment him but that relationship hasn't really realised its potential....yet. I'll tell you who Roca reminds me of....Michael Carrick. Obviously not that level but yeah, that type of defensive midfielder. Right place at the right time rather than all action smashing people. Think he's just hit a bit of a plateau in his first season.
