Saturday 8th February 2020 17.30 | The City Ground
Second placed Leeds travel down to the East Midlands for a tea time kick off against promotion hopefuls Nottingham Forest. Four points and two places separate the teams, but more worryingly Leeds recent form over the last 8 games see the Whites tiltering just above the relegation zone in 19th place with Barnsley, whereas Forest top the form guide with 17 points over the last eight games.
Will we see wholesale changes in the Leeds line up following the shambolic display against Wigan at the weekend? Augustin completed 45 minutes for the reserves on Monday and again on Friday night but looks rusty by all accounts. Surely, the only way of gaining match fitness is actually playing for the first team? Will he even be on the bench? What about Poveda? Should he be given an opportunity to show what he can do? Do Bamford and Casilla deserve to be in the starting line up> If not, who would you start instead?
Leeds legend Eddie Gray certainly believes that Augustin should make his debut on Saturday...
I think definitely he’ll be used. Scoring goals has been a problem recently. Patrick Bamford scored his couple against Millwall and you’re hoping he’s going to go on a run and score seven or eight. It never happened for him at the weekend.
But that’s why it’s always good to have someone there. He’s scored goals in decent leagues, so hopefully he can come in and be a great asset for the football club. It will give everyone a lift, the fans, his teammates and that’s what you’re looking for.
Kalvin Phillips remains unavailable because of suspension but Gaetano Berardi is in contention after recovering from a calf injury. Could that mean Ben White moved into defensive midfield? Nottingham Forest have midfielder Samba Sow back after a knee injury whilst striker Nuno Da Costa is expected to be among the substitutes and could make his debut. Another new signing, Adama Diakhaby, is pushing to start after two appearances from the bench.
Nottingham Forest have lost just one of their previous seven home league games against Leeds (W4 D2), a 2-0 defeat in August 2017. Leeds have only won two of their past 14 league games against Nottingham Forest (W2 D6 L6), winning both games during 2017. Only 47% of Nottingham Forest's points have come from home matches, the second lowest percentage in the Championship this season ahead of only Bristol City (44%). Leeds have won two of their previous 10 games in all competitions (D3 L5) since winning seven in a row in November/December.
Form guide doesn't interest me. Millwall were a form team and we beat them, Wigan weren't and they beat us. Forest play more to our strengths and I'm pretty confident we can beat them with our existing team.
Bielsa has already gone on the record by saying Poveda is ready for action so I'd hope to see him on the bench. Big Kev, while I wouldn't say rusty per se as his quality of service wasn't what he could expect from the first team, did seem to have to remind himself to drop deep at times, and press. He does look keen though, so while I don't expect him on the bench this game it won't be far off.
Till then we j7st have to hope Bamford has a good game. Kiko for me is the bigger worry. Since Cardiff his stats have plummeted wholesale (see the recent YEP article for particulars) and unlike Bamford we have a ready and proven replacement in Meslier. The flipside of that is the amount of pressure that will rest on the young man's shoulders and I doubt Bielsa will want to give him that sort of burden.
Aside from that, not much else I can say. Let's smash 'em.
Wondering if Roberts is fit enough to start. Pablo needs a rest imo. Bamford will and JKA will be on bench.
If we have Dallas at CM again O don’t think I could bring my self to watch.
Hope someone pushes Bielsa at the press conference about player rotation we have a busy month ahead.
' "Football is about the people and the players,” he said. “Then there are those who will mingle in the middle: the coaches, executives and journalists. That last group represents the worst part about football" Marcelo Bielsa
Just watching SKY doing analysis on both teams. Showed all Leeds missed chances against Wigan and highlighted our inability to score, then showed Forrest being ruthless in front of goal in their past few matches....I think I now fear for us in this game.....hope I'm wrong!
whiteswan wrote: ↑Thu Feb 06, 2020 11:40 am
Just watching SKY doing analysis on both teams. Showed all Leeds missed chances against Wigan and highlighted our inability to score, then showed Forrest being ruthless in front of goal in their past few matches....I think I now fear for us in this game.....hope I'm wrong!
I saw that to
We are basically the total opposite of Forest.
They like to play on the counter, we like to have the ball.
Cjay wrote: ↑Thu Feb 06, 2020 12:06 pm
I saw that to
We are basically the total opposite of Forest.
They like to play on the counter, we like to have the ball.
They are very clinical, we are very wasteful.
We are going to lose arent we?
I haven’t had time but will check later.
Just wondering what actually produces most goals?
High possession?
Pressing and winning it back? I can think of one goal, the one v Brum in the home game.
Set pieces?
Break away?
Off the top of my head break away has yielded quite well but I’ll check later.
Just wondering if the high possession game is really our strength.
If we just kept our defensive shape and drew teams out of their shells a bit U wonder how we would fare?
' "Football is about the people and the players,” he said. “Then there are those who will mingle in the middle: the coaches, executives and journalists. That last group represents the worst part about football" Marcelo Bielsa
We are the better team, a draw should be the minimum and acceptable in normal circumstances except we're dropping points at an alarming rate. We NEED a win
"Never debate an idiot, they'll only drag you down to their level and they have the advantage of experience"
Just watched a Leeds training video. There was big Kev on a training bike but when it came to training footage on the pitch he was no where to be seen.
Does this mean that he is still not considered up to speed for the first team? it would not surprise me if he is not on the bench once again.
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Irish Ian wrote:
I haven’t had time but will check later.
Just wondering what actually produces most goals?
High possession?
Pressing and winning it back? I can think of one goal, the one v Brum in the home game.
Set pieces?
Break away?
Off the top of my head break away has yielded quite well but I’ll check later.
Just wondering if the high possession game is really our strength.
If we just kept our defensive shape and drew teams out of their shells a bit U wonder how we would fare?
Possession is the name of the game. If you have 70% possession then the opposition have only 30% of the time to score. If you don't have the ball then you can't score... simples. You also have more than double the chances of scoring if you are able to take your chances.
There was a recent video of the five best goals Leeds scored against Notts and all of the goals came from outside the 18 yard box... sometimes I think we try to walk the ball into the net... more shots from distance might be the solution to our goal drought.
Irish Ian wrote: ↑Thu Feb 06, 2020 12:12 pm
I haven’t had time but will check later.
Just wondering what actually produces most goals?
High possession?
Pressing and winning it back? I can think of one goal, the one v Brum in the home game.
Set pieces?
Break away?
Off the top of my head break away has yielded quite well but I’ll check later.
Just wondering if the high possession game is really our strength.
If we just kept our defensive shape and drew teams out of their shells a bit U wonder how we would fare?
Cant say for certain now but at one point we had won every game we had the least possession in.
Irish Ian wrote: ↑Thu Feb 06, 2020 12:12 pm
I haven’t had time but will check later.
Just wondering what actually produces most goals?
High possession?
Pressing and winning it back? I can think of one goal, the one v Brum in the home game.
Set pieces?
Break away?
Off the top of my head break away has yielded quite well but I’ll check later.
Just wondering if the high possession game is really our strength.
If we just kept our defensive shape and drew teams out of their shells a bit U wonder how we would fare?
This is why Kiko is my bigger concern. Too many teams are scoring first now which means teams don't have to come out in the first place. Our blazing counterattacks have all but dried up since we started conceding bucketloads for that very reason.
I can't lay all the blame at Kiko's feet as there have been obvious defensive errors, particularly in set pieces but Cardiff and maybe the racism charge has done a number on him and perhaps that's been transmitted to our defenders?
Ultimately though the possession style is used to draw teams out. You can see this happen for yourself all the time when we recycle the ball through back to the defence and we frequently and consistently catch teams out with diagonal switches of play.
For all our wastefulness though, if we didn't concede so much then we'd have more of Reading and Hull, where we're looking for an 'answer' and not a 'response'. It's quite a glaring knock on effect and deserves far more attention if you ask me.
Augustin - happy with fitness levels? How close to the first team?
I have to give you a long answer.
Augustin is a player with a lot of impact. He has a lot of skills, resources. You can realise about that for how much he goes, how much he was sold and bought for and the teams he played for.
But Kevin, in the last eight months played three full matches.
So when one player in this period plays just three full matches the conclusion about his fitness levels is clear.
If you see one time like Wigan for example, they sold his two best players. One to Milan and after the number ten. Why do you think that’s happened and they are fighting for relegation?
Why do you think that?
Because of the economic fair play, that demands you don’t take a risk.
So you know perfectly that Leeds cannot buy a player even if Leeds would like to buy a player. So do you think that one player with the background of Augustin can arrive to our club if he is not in the situation where he is now. Because a player of his level, with his background, his skills, his characteristics, if he was playing, he’s a player that costs £30-40m. You know that? Everyone knows that.
So if he arrives here without paying this money, it’s because he has to resolve one problem that is that he wasn’t playing. Players, they have skills, resources but put those resources and skills onto the pitch in one official match, it’s not the same that you have the skill and after put it in the pitch.
So what it’s related to with his fitness performance is very important. And also the luck. Ryan Edmondson, he played 20 matches in the U23s. What I saw was never enough to be considered for me. Even though we watch every match and we try to help him progress. In the last training he had a great performance. And in this problem he had an injury in his knee.
So you have the development, the player grows and after you have the luck factor. And also you have loyalty or not in the engagement. BEcause Nketiah arrived here because Leeds was the ideal place to grow, because it was me who was going to coach him. I know who I am and I don’t believe those messages. Everything around the transfer of Eddie was a lie, Nketiah came to play. In any way. He didn’t play and he left.
But even worse, because I in two situations, I put Bamfordon the bench and in two months he was with us, he wasn’t able to play. Players do preseason. One player in six months plays two matches, thinks he will arrive to one club and play is underestimating what Leeds is as a club, a team and an institution.
Clarke, the last match he played in the U23s, I sent him a message congratulating him because after four months of work he was again the player he was when he started playing for us. The next day he left Leeds.
Baker, we six months working with him, when we found his best level, he left the club. Leeds is one institution, one club and I try to manage every situation and be humble.
But if you think that one player will come here and will play just without reason, it’s not like that.
The players who arrive here are going to play if they are better than the players that are playing.
I am very confident in Augustin’s qualities and skills. I think he’s a player with great, great skills. But in football and even more on one league like the Championship that is maybe the fifth or sixth best in the world, you’re not going to arrive and play without being at the ideal level.
I know his characteristics as manager, I know perfectly that I’m not a big manager. But I know some stuff differently.
For instance, if we have training in the week and a player plays well or players very wll in an U23s match, this doesn’t mean that he’s going to play in the first-team and have impact. But what I saw a few times is the opposite. One player that has no impact in training or an U23s match, plays in a first-team game and has an impact. There is a perception that a player with five years experience in the CHampionship will play well.
Like you don’t analyse the matches of the U23s because every week, I receive a message about why Edmondson is not playing. I am the first one who wants Edmondson playing here. When he got injured last week, I didn’t know he had the injury in the knee. So I started to shout at him, saying continue playing because you’re doing a great training. You are doing in 20 minutes what we expect from you in 18 months. After that I decided he had a problem.
So all the comments and expectations about the players who arrive, the first I have to say, being humble to play in our first team as a starter, the player has to be close to his best level, linking the skills and resources.
If Augustin gets to play in 70% of his skills, it is going to be enough for him to play here. But if he can just use 50% of his skills, it’s not going to be enough. He competes with Bamford and Roberts. It’s very easy to criticise Bamford for missing chances. He’s scored 12 times and he has ups and downs.
But underestimate one player like Bamford and look for solutions in any way is not the best. I know perfectly which is the physical level of Augustin, I can talk to you for 15 minutes about his physical qualities, about each quality, and I also know the physical performance you must have to show your level on the pitch. The skills you have as a player transform after a good performance if you are physically and mentally prepared.
So think that one player who plays three matches in eight months, that is not absolutely what is football. And about how we judge the work of those people that bring players to the club. Tell us how could we bring one great number nine without money, because of the fair play. So it’s easy to say why Augustin is not playing. BEcause Bamford needs three chances. You have to analyse every situation, Baker, Nketiah, Clarke, why they left the club.
I interpret Leeds with humility but think that this is the club that one player can arrive and just play and show himself, because you have a lot of information or you should have this information so it shoulnd’t be necessary to take 20 minutes to explain this.
Do you think the explanation is right?
<I wasn't saying he should play, I was asking for your assessment of his condition?>
I cannot be innocent to answer this question. YOu have information to answer your own questions. If one player plays three times in eight months, he can be healthy with a good physical performance and even though he needs to play football, but even though he is going to need to have more football level because in the last eight months he played three times.
If I ignore the explanation I am giving you and after I give minutes to Augstin to play and he’s not being able to take advantage, respecting just his name and what all the fans are demanding, if I do that, it’s not going to be a good thing for the team, for the future and for the player himself. The supporters also claimed for Nketiah. I think that Nketiah is going to be one of the best English players. He was a starter twice, moving one player like Bamford, a great player and a day later he decides to leave the club. Again, the agreement we did with Arsenal, because players don’t go to another club just to play. They go to try to compete ith another teammate to play. Because if you are going to be a player of a top level club and you cannot deserve one place in one team that is supposed to have a player of less level, so you have to find a club that tells you you don’t have to play whatever happens. THe manager who says this lies to him. I’m talking about Nketiah, Great player, great pro, great human.
Because this situation that we are experience training Augustin to be at a good level is a mistake in the calculations but we have to adapt to this situation because people didn’t respect the agreement that we respected a lot.
Onto the weekend - will playing away help in terms of expectations?
There are no expectations, there are doubts. The supporting is not believing any more in our team. But we believe in our team. For this reason, now people are asking for anything, when one player is in the sea and he’s dying. Supporting is not believing in us anymore, but we believe more than ever in ourselves.
We wish to always play at Elland Road because our supporters never damage our team. So for us, playing away is not a good thing for us. If you think playing is better away, then you think playing at home is uncomfortable and it’s not like that. If the supporters lost his faith in the team we have to recover the confidence that we lost.
We have to recover the confidence that the supporter does not have now. We need the confidence of the supporter and if we don’t desereve it, we are trying to recover it. What we are not going to do is give up and not trust in ourselves. Because we deserve to keep the trust in our side.
It doesn’t matter most of the matches that we’ve lost has meant people don’t trust more in our team, we are forced to analyse what we make of things. And take conclusions and see what we expect. No doubts about the job we are doing and we know the problems and which are the solutions that can resolve those problems.
So, I prefer to take the responsibility fo the mistakes which puts the responsibility of those things to another. If I had said that Augustin has to play, no matter how, thinking that Augustin in this moment is not him that’s going to resolve this problem, what I do is not take responsibility in Augustin or in our club.
Augustin will play when he is good condition to show what he can do. You can be in good condition but you have to be able to show it.
What I cannot do is know that Augustin is not in good condition and allow him to play as that will harm him and the club.
why the hell did we get him? very frustrating that we needed a striker and got (what looks like) a decent one, but he's not going to be able to play until easter because he's not played regularly for 8 months.
