The #LUFC Breakfast Debate (Monday 18th March) Whites top Championship with hard fought victory over Lions

[Ellandback1]

Good Morning. It's Monday 18th March, and here are the latest headlines from Elland Road...


Whites top Championship with hard fought victory over Lions

Goals from Wilfred Gnonto and Dan James were enough to tame an over-exuberant Millwall side, and send Leeds top of the Championship table. There's never a bad time to top the table, though few would disagree that the business end of the season is a good place to start. As in recent matches, the performance from Farke's men was far from vintage; but with just eight games remaining, fans won't care if the team has to claw their way over the finish line, as long as they gain automatic promotion!

From the opening whistle, the visitors were intent on making life difficult for Leeds, but getting ten men behind the ball was only half the problem! The boys from Bermondsey have always been a physical and somewhat dirty side, but much of their behaviour went unpunished by the man in black. How Neil Harris' men finished the game with eleven players is bewildering; with Jake Cooper in particular living a charmed life. The 29 year old had a scuffle with Gnonto (earning both players a booking), he elbowed Rutter in the face and bought Roden down in the penalty box, right under the nose of Stephen Martin, yet remained on the pitch.

It took a moment of magic from Wilfred Gnonto to unlock the Millwall defence. The plucky Italian weaved his way through a sea of orange, before unleashing a thunder bolt from the edge of the area, worthy of a goal of the season contender. With ten minutes of the game remaining, Leeds made the game safe. Rutter picked out Dan James in a packed penalty area. The Welshman took an eternity, before picking his spot from six yards out.





Top five contenders of the season

It's not going to be long before the player of the season is unveiled, so it's time to look at the top 5 contenders. It's fair to say that every player has played their part this season, but which ones have stood out for you?

[1964white]

My top 3

Rodon
Ampadu
James

[Chilli D]

Going top with 8 games to go sends out a statement to the others but nothing more. By the time we play Watford we will probably be back in third place and this scenario is likely to happen right until the end of the season.
With Southampton due to play Leicester and Ipswich before they play us, they could do us a big favour by taking points off them.
Hard fought, disciplined performance yesterday and we'll need more of the same at Watford.

For me the top 5 POTS contenders are (in no particular order):
Georginio
Summerville
Rodon
Ampadu
Gray

[Sean_Nile]

It is interesting that during the match the analysis was that most of the attacks that Leeds made were down the left hand side 65℅ however both goals came from the wingers on right hand side. .. though in mitigation you could say Rutter was on the left when he passed to James... but he had to be on the spot to stick it away.

Both goals coming from the underutilized side, you would expect that statistically goals would come from the area that was being attacked the most.

On the Millwall forum Joe Bryan their left back was being slated for the Leeds goals, and we have had problems at left back for ages.

In many sports lefties have an advantages over the more predominantly righties in the population. Does Gnonto who in the premiership often played on the left have an advantage when he is now playing on the right. Many of his goals come from cutting inside and letting go with his left foot... And Jimmy is almost a mirror image when it comes to scoring goals.

Is DF playing inverted wingers?

[weasel]

Going top with 8 games to go sends out a statement to the others but nothing more. By the time we play Watford we will probably be back in third place and this scenario is likely to happen right until the end of the season.
With Southampton due to play Leicester and Ipswich before they play us, they could do us a big favour by taking points off them.
Hard fought, disciplined performance yesterday and we'll need more of the same at Watford.

I wouldn't be ruling Southampton out either. With the break they have had between fixtures it has given them a real chance to recharge their frazzled batteries and as we have seen earlier in the season they are capable of going on a decent run. If they win their 2 games in hand and were to beat us at ER then it puts the teams level so it would boil down to how well each team did in their other games.

Often happens in horse racing that a horse is trailing for ages but then 'sprouts wings' and gets to the front but gets there too early and then runs out of gas. We have to be careful that we don't think the job is done. After we beat Ipswich 4-0 and appeared to be in the driving seat we had our worst run of form.

[Ellandback1]

Ampadu
Rodon
Summerville
Rutter
James

[Chilli D]

I wouldn't be ruling Southampton out either. With the break they have had between fixtures it has given them a real chance to recharge their frazzled batteries and as we have seen earlier in the season they are capable of going on a decent run. If they win their 2 games in hand and were to beat us at ER then it puts the teams level so it would boil down to how well each team did in their other games.

Often happens in horse racing that a horse is trailing for ages but then 'sprouts wings' and gets to the front but gets there too early and then runs out of gas. We have to be careful that we don't think the job is done. After we beat Ipswich 4-0 and appeared to be in the driving seat we had our worst run of form.

You definitely can't rule out Southampton but they have a lot of games to play in a short space of time, including away games against the top 3.
I think it might catch up with them in the end but they're definitely not out of it yet. They will need to go on one hell of a run though. They play Ipswich in a couple of weeks, that game could be pivotal.

[Clitheroe White]

Agree this race is nowhere near run yet. Lots of twists to come.

However, I would rather be where we are right now than others (strongly placed league position, promotion in our own hands and with a team that look to be strong in every department).

Leeds = If we keep doing what we know we can do we will get there.
Leicester = when does this bad form turn around? I am so worried we will mess up a great opportunity.
Ipswich = If we keep going we can do this, Leicester are looking catchable now, we need to win them all.
Southampton = we need to win them all, plus we get to play the top 3 so can take points from them all. Slightly worried that we have so many games to play.

[The Subhuman]

Georginio
Summerville
Ampadu
Rodon
Gray

[mentalcase]

Morning all.
A hard fought but deserved win yesterday.
If the ref had done half the job he was employed to do, it would have been far easier, 2-0 clean sheet is what it's all about.
Easter has always been the time I am concerned about, it will be tough, but we know we will dog deep.
We have the players to get us over the line and the manager will treat it one game at once, nothing more, he won't let anyone get ahead of themselves.

Rodon
Amapdu
Gray
Rutter
James
In no particular order
Other shouts to Gnonto, Summerville and the rest.

[DDB220]

Going top with 8 games to go sends out a statement to the others but nothing more. By the time we play Watford we will probably be back in third place and this scenario is likely to happen right until the end of the season.
With Southampton due to play Leicester and Ipswich before they play us, they could do us a big favour by taking points off them.
Hard fought, disciplined performance yesterday and we'll need more of the same at Watford.

For me the top 5 POTS contenders are (in no particular order):
Georginio
Summerville
Rodon
Ampadu
Gray

Totally agree with the same 5 contenders. They have been the bedrock of our season. It is a matter of preference who to place where 1-5, but if I had to choose it would be Ampadu as my player of the season - simply for his unerring consistency in two positions.

[DDB220]

In terms of the officialdom of the Millwall game - it was a stonewall penalty. But like every club in this league we have also had some decisions go for us - the non offside goal getting ruled out against Leicester which was pivotal in terms of the outcome.
Swings and roundabouts with no VAR and we have been quite fortunate that the poor decisions have been more to our benefit in terms of how the respective game has panned out.

[Madron]

Bit early for player of season isnt it ?
Could still have 11 games to play. A lot can happen in that time.

[whiteinfrance]

Bit early for player of season isnt it ?
Could still have 11 games to play. A lot can happen in that time.

Yes Bamford could score 33 goals in that time!

That might change opinions a bit

[Irish Ian]

82 points and we will need another 6 wins to have ant chance of the autos.

Going to be tough on two of the top four...

Amps
Rodon
James
Jimmy
Rutter.

[andrewjohnsmith]

Rodon, Ampadu, Summerville, Rutter are easy picks

Gray and James have been excellent

[Cjay]

It is interesting that during the match the analysis was that most of the attacks that Leeds made were down the left hand side 65℅ however both goals came from the wingers on right hand side. .. though in mitigation you could say Rutter was on the left when he passed to James... but he had to be on the spot to stick it away.

Both goals coming from the underutilized side, you would expect that statistically goals would come from the area that was being attacked the most.

On the Millwall forum Joe Bryan their left back was being slated for the Leeds goals, and we have had problems at left back for ages.

In many sports lefties have an advantages over the more predominantly righties in the population. Does Gnonto who in the premiership often played on the left have an advantage when he is now playing on the right. Many of his goals come from cutting inside and letting go with his left foot... And Jimmy is almost a mirror image when it comes to scoring goals.

Is DF playing inverted wingers?

Simple explanation is Gnonto has more the Buendia role whereas earlier on he was trying to be Dan James.

May go a bit unnoticed at times but Gnonto pops up all over the place, right, left, middle.

Whereas Jimmy is almost always really wide left or more in line with the corner of the box allowing Firpo to overlap.

A reason why we focus more down the left May be for one Summerville and Firpo have done really well? But also because of the role Gnonto plays he isn't always on the right for the ball (he was involved in the buildup for the Bamford goal other week and was basically close enough to Summerville and Firpo on the left to hold hands).

Whereas Dan James plays thay right side totally differently, as a proper winger.

So I'm pleased DF has done this, at times earlier in the season Gnonto and James played that side the same way and it never suited Gnonto, he isn't a winger.

He's clearly been given more freedom, more coaching perhaps, and is now basically doing his best Emi Buendia impression.

[Ellandback1]

Rodon, Ampadu, Summerville, Rutter are easy picks

Gray and James have been excellent

I don't get it with Gray. It's great the he's been able to cover the right back role, but Conor Roberts has outscored him, and one less assist from 179 minutes of game play!

[Leeds1000]

I am much happier being part of the hounds chasing down the Fox..it gives you the drive to keep hunting. That's hopefully another string to our bow tho because Farke is the most experienced Hunter at getting over the line. He won't allow the players mentality to slip now they have arrived at the summit.

Rutter
Amps
Summerville
Rodon
James

A mixture of the Rock and the Roll. All the big guns in there. All within a fraction of each other and all still to play for in the last games.

[The Subhuman]

The grand old Duke of Farke
He had 20 odd men
He marched them up to the top of the champ
and stayed there