The #LUFC Breakfast Debate ( Tue 22nd Jan)

[Cjay]

Awful news about Sala, condolences to all involved.

But wtf was he doing in a light aircraft?

Phillips should come back in for Forshaw but knowing MB he will play cb and him and Cooper will spend 90minutes being battered by Rotherhams 6ft3 Michael Smith who did extremely well vs Bera and Coops earlier this season.

Until MB addresses the height and aerial issue in our side we will always be at risk.

[weasel]

I believe it is straightforward as the points I've raised:

Harrison is a weak-link & invariably subbed, it's almost like playing with ten men.
Phillips is our best defensive midfielder.
Pablo creativity is key which has mainly come from when he plays on the flanks.
We look better at the back when we play with two tall accomplished CB's especially as we give away silly free-kicks in dangerous areas & corners are always a problem if you are numerically out-numbered height wise. Keep clean sheets & we win games

We should play our best available XI preferably in their natural positions

We never looked like getting back into the games v Hull & Stoke, really poor in both

Equally though Harrison's goal rescued a point v Millwall, Harrison's goal gave us a crucial 2 goal cushion v Derby. In the Forest defeat it was Harrison that was brought down when clean through - a different ref and Forest were down to 10 men instead of us.

KP has played out of position in several of the games we have won. Likewise Pablo was playing through the centre in several of the games we won.

Yes I agree we look better defensively with 2 actual centrebacks but we have won games without that being the case and we have also lost matches, earlier on in the season, when the 2 centrebacks played.

We also never looked like scoring v Forest in the 1-1 draw till Roofe scored with his hand - another day and we lose that game 1-0. Against Stoke Ayling forces a great save from Butland at 1-0, that goes in and we are back in the game and maybe go on to win it. Against Hull I think we had 2 or 3 cleared of the line, one of those goes in and it is 2-1 and we are back in the game.

It is all fine margins. When you win 7 in a row then statistically you are more likely to lose as luck evens itself out. The same way that sometimes a team sacks their manager after a losing run and then suddenly win and it is cited as new manager effect whereas it is often just that the luck that went against them suddenly evens itself out and the team gets the penalty decision that they didn't the week before etc. That is why it is important not to make knee jerk reactions but look at what has gone right and wrong over a larger period of time. Not everything was great when we won 7 in a row and equally not everything was terrible in the 3 defeats out of 4 matches - the Forest performance at times was excellent.

[mothbanquet]

It is all fine margins. When you win 7 in a row then statistically you are more likely to lose as luck evens itself out. The same way that sometimes a team sacks their manager after a losing run and then suddenly win and it is cited as new manager effect whereas it is often just that the luck that went against them suddenly evens itself out and the team gets the penalty decision that they didn't the week before etc. That is why it is important not to make knee jerk reactions but look at what has gone right and wrong over a larger period of time. Not everything was great when we won 7 in a row and equally not everything was terrible in the 3 defeats out of 4 matches - the Forest performance at times was excellent.

This is pretty much all indicative of something I've been saying for a while - we're playing above and beyond the means at our disposal at this moment in time. The simple fact is we don't have the quality of players to play Bielsaball flawlessly all the time. We have great days like the Derby game where everything clicks, confidence is high etc, then we have West Brom games where pressure is applied by individually superior players and our own players' limitations are brought to light.

Don't get me wrong. I'm immensely proud of what the lads have achieved so far and some individuals have shown themselves to be able to carry off Bielsa's style week in, week out. For too many though, this is too much of a stretch. I'm not going to pick on Jack Harrison here, he's still young and for the role he plays this is a lot to expect of him. I am going to single out Luke Ayling, however, as an example.

He's done well for us until now but under Bielsa this team is starting to move to the next level - high tier Championship/low tier Premiership. Ayling looks increasingly left behind compared to young and dynamic players like Shackleton, and ironically enough our born-again wing back Alioski.

I agree that we have to look back in detail at individual matches as we have done, but there is the overall picture to be taken into account as well. Who's starting to let the side down? What's to be done about it? The goalkeeper question has been settled for now, so perhaps it's just a matter of what to see how the other questions are answered.

[SG90]

Well put it this way, we lose 3/4 and yet we're still top and 4 clear of 3rd. Perhaps the other clubs should be ruing not taking advantage?

[SG90]

Very sad news about Sala and the pilot, almost no chance of any survivors in this scenario. But questions should be asked why Cardiff flew him on a single engine plane with the weather as it is. Why couldn't he just have flown in the morning via aeroplane?

[1964white]

Equally though Harrison's goal rescued a point v Millwall, Harrison's goal gave us a crucial 2 goal cushion v Derby. In the Forest defeat it was Harrison that was brought down when clean through - a different ref and Forest were down to 10 men instead of us.

KP has played out of position in several of the games we have won. Likewise Pablo was playing through the centre in several of the games we won.

Yes I agree we look better defensively with 2 actual centrebacks but we have won games without that being the case and we have also lost matches, earlier on in the season, when the 2 centrebacks played.

We also never looked like scoring v Forest in the 1-1 draw till Roofe scored with his hand - another day and we lose that game 1-0. Against Stoke Ayling forces a great save from Butland at 1-0, that goes in and we are back in the game and maybe go on to win it. Against Hull I think we had 2 or 3 cleared of the line, one of those goes in and it is 2-1 and we are back in the game.

It is all fine margins. When you win 7 in a row then statistically you are more likely to lose as luck evens itself out. The same way that sometimes a team sacks their manager after a losing run and then suddenly win and it is cited as new manager effect whereas it is often just that the luck that went against them suddenly evens itself out and the team gets the penalty decision that they didn't the week before etc. That is why it is important not to make knee jerk reactions but look at what has gone right and wrong over a larger period of time. Not everything was great when we won 7 in a row and equally not everything was terrible in the 3 defeats out of 4 matches - the Forest performance at times was excellent.

Until Bielsa is in a position to play his strongest XI or get his selections right from the onset expect more defeats, we can't continue wasting the first 45 minutes, conceding gifted goals & continually chasing games

[weasel]

Don't get me wrong. I'm immensely proud of what the lads have achieved so far and some individuals have shown themselves to be able to carry off Bielsa's style week in, week out. For too many though, this is too much of a stretch. I'm not going to pick on Jack Harrison here, he's still young and for the role he plays this is a lot to expect of him. I am going to single out Luke Ayling, however, as an example.

He's done well for us until now but under Bielsa this team is starting to move to the next level - high tier Championship/low tier Premiership. Ayling looks increasingly left behind compared to young and dynamic players like Shackleton, and ironically enough our born-again wing back Alioski.

I think this is why Bielsa likes to develop young players so much. Installing the right way of playing is something that is easier to do with the young players and you also get enough time to work with them and develop them rather than when you sign someone who is expected to go straight into the first team. Take Shackleton as an example and Bielsa has identified a midfielder who he feels has all the attributes to be the type of full back that Bielsa needs in his system. We cannot go out and spend £50m on 1 player like City did and even spending £3.5m on Douglas doesn't give you a player that can do everything that Bielsa demands from that position, it gives you a player that is an upgrade on what we had previously but still has limitations. Ayling likewise is the same, he has some of the attributes Bielsa requires but not all. So he converts a midfielder who should be comfortable on the ball so straightaway one tick there. He seems to have speed and a good engine, two more ticks. So suddenly you are bringing through a youth player that will tick more boxes than a new signing would. What's not to love about the future if Bielsa stays, even if we don't get promoted. We can't do a City and buy the best but if Bielsa is given enough time perhaps he can create the best.