The #LUFC Breakfast Debate (Thursday 2nd January) - Leeds extend lead despite frustrating performance

[Ellandback1]

Good Morning. It's Thursday 2nd January, and here are the latest headlines from Elland Road...


Leeds extend lead despite frustrating performance

Leeds extended their lead at the top of the Championship to three points after a frustrating draw against Blackburn Rovers on New Years Day. With Burnley drawing again, and Sunderland piling more misery on Chris Wilder's Sheffield Utd, Leeds have built up a commanding three point lead over the chasing pack, yet many fans are convinced they havn't seen the best of Leeds yet.

Blackburn were happy to concede possession to the Whites as long as they didn't strike at goal, and the hosts were happy to oblige. Leeds build up play was monotonous; couple that with Blackburn's time wasting and falling over escapades, and it had all the hallmarks of a party political broadcast!

The game sprung into life two minutes from time when Mateo Joseph was taken out in the penalty box by Danny Batth. The ground found its voice after Pascal Struijk duly ablated from 12 yards, only for the visitors to go straight to the other end and equalise moments later.

Farke's players paid far too much respect to Blackburn, whose squad is only paid a small proportion of what the Leeds mega-stars earn. If they were unwilling (or unable) to go toe to toe, and take them on, perhaps they don't deserve to be earning almost four times as much (£31,109 average weekly Leeds salary v Blackburn's average weekly salary £8667).





Key injuries could prompt incoming loans

Injuries to Jayden Bogle and Sam Byram during the 1-1 draw with Blackburn may give Daniel Farke food for thought during the January transfer window. The gaffer has already insisted that Leeds are going to have a very quiet transfer window, and has indicated that activity is likely to be reactive as apposed to pro-active, but with Max Wober and forgotten man Isaac Schmidt the only (semi) fit full-back's in Farke's squad, could we see a utility player come in to plug the gap?

The gaffer is heavily reliant on wing-backs, not only defend, but charge up and down the wings, creating width, and moving defenders out of position. Junior Firpo, Max Wober and Sam Byram's injury records have always been a cause for concern, given the amount of time each has spent on the sidelines - severely weakening the starting line up! The club's decision not to strengthen this time last year (apart from Connor Roberts) played a massive part as to why they ran out of stream towards the end of the season, winning just four of their last eleven games.





Injuries dent Wilder's promotion hopes

The Blades were without top scorer Tyrese Campbell, first-choice winger Jesurun Rak-Sakyi, and key midfielder Vini Souza last night as Chris Wilders outfit succumbed to a 2-1 loss at the Stadium of Light last night. News that Oliver Arblaster and Harry Souttar have already been ruled out for the rest of the season is great news for Whites fans. The duo were in fantastic form during the first half of the season, and helped elevate their team into promotion contenders. Without them, Wilders squad is spread thin. A 2-0 loss loss against Burnley followed by a draw against West Brom saw them lose top spot. They have now been pushed down to third place, but with recruitments expected soon, we shouldn't come them out yet!

[Chilli D]

Over half way through the season, three points clear (which is basically four given our superior goal difference), what's not to like?
Yes, the game yesterday was disappointing and frustrating but if any anything it's a mark of respect that teams are fearful of attacking us for fear of being exposed so they defend in numbers.

The full back situation is a bit of a concern. Firpo and Bogle injured, Byram has to be managed carefully and Wober is only just back from another injury and is probably not ready for 90 minutes.
It looks like Ampadu may get an extended run at RB as we don't really have anyone else.

[The Subhuman]

Need to wait for updates on Bogle, Firpo and Byram. Schmidt should start in their absence

[Tom the Cat]

Over half way through the season, three points clear (which is basically four given our superior goal difference), what's not to like?
Yes, the game yesterday was disappointing and frustrating but if any anything it's a mark of respect that teams are fearful of attacking us for fear of being exposed so they defend in numbers.

The full back situation is a bit of a concern. Firpo and Bogle injured, Byram has to be managed carefully and Wober is only just back from another injury and is probably not ready for 90 minutes.
It looks like Ampadu may get an extended run at RB as we don't really have anyone else.

Although pedestrian in the build-up play we were causing Blackburn problems, especially down the wings. So with twenty minutes to go what does Frake do - he takes off a winger who has been causing Blackburn problems all afternoon and brings on Bamford. I have always been a Farke fan and indeed Leeds are top of the division - but I ask you !!!

[Chilli D]

Although pedestrian in the build-up play we were causing Blackburn problems, especially down the wings. So with twenty minutes to go what does Frake do - he takes off a winger who has been causing Blackburn problems all afternoon and brings on Bamford. I have always been a Farke fan and indeed Leeds are top of the division - but I ask you !!!

I questioned the decision to take Solomon off at the time on the match thread. He was our best player so it seemed a strange decision. He clearly wasn't happy.
If anything he should have taken James off who didn't have his best game.

[Sean_Nile]

Leeds United’s slow and methodical build-up play under the orchestration of Japanese midfield maestro Ao Tanaka feels like a footballing homage to Sun Tzu's The Art of War.

Much like Sun Tzu’s teachings, their approach relies on patience, discipline, and the strategic exploitation of their opponents’ weaknesses. As Tanaka surveys the field with the cool precision of a general planning a siege, Leeds players advance with the deliberation and with a clear purpose... that causes consternation and bewilderment in the anglo saxon crowd unfamiliar with the practices of the Zen masters.

Sun Tzu said, “The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting,” and Leeds seem intent on subduing the opposition without rushing... forcing their foes to fall into the traps they’ve subtly laid out... and most importantly conserving their energy and resources.

Watching Leeds under the guidance of Tanaka you are seeing someone dedicated to the philosophy of Sun Tzu.

The crowd grows restless, a case of the Occidental not understanding the Oriental. The slow manoeuvres, the precise passing, the grace of the Tai Chi movements... they clamour for the charge of the light brigade... not comprehending that such reckless charges lead to a counter attack and death.

“Speed is the essence of war,” Sun Tzu might also warn, but applied at the right moment, like the Samurai movement that was executed for the memorable Aaronson goal... which had Zen like essence constructed from precise and decisive movements.

In true Sun Tzu fashion, Leeds do not merely play football; they wage psychological warfare. Fans joke that their strategy is so slow and deliberate it could be mistaken for a game of chess, but when the final whistle blows, Leeds have often turned their patience into three points, leaving rival managers pondering The Art of War in post-match interviews.

[mentalcase]

Morning all.
I like Farke, doing a great job thus far, but, when I feel he needs critisising I will critisise him, and yesterday it was his fault we didn't win that game, he took the best 2 players off the field, Piroe and Solomon, Piroe was driving 2 CHs crazy all afternoon with his runs and clever thinking leaving gaps for Aaronson etc, Solomon was taunting their fullback equally as much and putting dangerous balls through, it seemed only a matter of time, but with those 2 off and the wasteful James and Aaronson still left on, taking Rothwell off meant no more set pieces although he didn't have the best of days.(note James' lame free-kick late on)
Not only that, 5 subs on with 30 minutes to play, what if we'd have picked up another injury !!!
We can't blame other teams for defending, we can't keep blaming the officials for allowing blatant shithousing, but we can blame our team and manager for having no plan B.
Still top of the league though, HNY to you all.

[The Subhuman]

Morning all.
I like Farke, doing a great job thus far, but, when I feel he needs critisising I will critisise him, and yesterday it was his fault we didn't win that game, he took the best 2 players off the field, Piroe and Solomon, Piroe was driving 2 CHs crazy all afternoon with his runs and clever thinking leaving gaps for Aaronson etc, Solomon was taunting their fullback equally as much and putting dangerous balls through, it seemed only a matter of time, but with those 2 off and the wasteful James and Aaronson still left on, taking Rothwell off meant no more set pieces although he didn't have the best of days.(note James' lame free-kick late on)
Not only that, 5 subs on with 30 minutes to play, what if we'd have picked up another injury !!!
We can't blame other teams for defending, we can't keep blaming the officials for allowing blatant shithousing, but we can blame our team and manager for having no plan B.
Still top of the league though, HNY to you all.

Absolutely, this blaming the opposition thing is just daft. We allow them to play that way... I think Farke is a top class coach, I'm less sure of his abilities to manage a game.

[mentalcase]

Absolutely, this blaming the opposition thing is just daft. We allow them to play that way... I think Farke is a top class coach, I'm less sure of his abilities to manage a game.

Exactly SH, a very good coach, but he leaves me speechless sometimes with his decisions, he won't be the only manager to make strange decisions and have us perplexed, but he sticks by it and we all know what happens when you keep doing the same thing and expecting different results.

[weasel]

I questioned the decision to take Solomon off at the time on the match thread. He was our best player so it seemed a strange decision. He clearly wasn't happy.
If anything he should have taken James off who didn't have his best game.

I think Farke is seeing the bigger picture in that Solomon has to be managed. No point risking him getting injured, even if he was our most effective threat, if it then saw him miss several matches.

Glad that Solomon was disappointed/angry to be taken off. Shows he wants to win rather than just picking up a wage etc.

[Stonecoldwhite]

Has Soloman had injury problems this year?
When do most injuries occur during gametime?
When was Soloman subbed? (70th min)
So he unsuccessfully tried to penetrate a brickwall for 70mins.

But yes, I suppose that's ^ all the managers fault is it, even though his substitutions brought a penalty award, a decent goal effort from Wober and other attacking moments.
The manager doesn't have all the hindsight some here have in abundance, and which is all evident in their posts.
It's a wonderful thing.

[Irish Ian]

Exactly SH, a very good coach, but he leaves me speechless sometimes with his decisions, he won't be the only manager to make strange decisions and have us perplexed, but he sticks by it and we all know what happens when you keep doing the same thing and expecting different results.

What different results do you want?

We are Top of the League.

If you listen to what opposing managers say, they all hate having to play us, they admire the way that DF uses his two dfms to deny the opposition possession and dominate the game. They know that they have to sit deep and hope they get a break or two.

That is testament to a highly respected coach.

[Stonecoldwhite]

What different results do you want?

We are Top of the League.

If you listen to what opposing managers say, they all hate having to play us, they admire the way that DF uses his two dfms to deny the opposition possession and dominate the game. They know that they have to sit deep and hope they get a break or two.

That is testament to a highly respected coach.

I'm unsure myself, perhaps it's the destruction of Oxford 4-0 with goals and assists from everywhere, maybe the 0-1 dominance of Derby with perfectly timed subs with all players on cruise control, the 0-2 controlled easy trot out v Stoke, or they might not be happy about the Wober own goal in the 3-1 demolition job on Boro they blame the manager for ?
The mind boggles.

[DDB220]

Exactly SH, a very good coach, but he leaves me speechless sometimes with his decisions, he won't be the only manager to make strange decisions and have us perplexed, but he sticks by it and we all know what happens when you keep doing the same thing and expecting different results.

The difference between Farke making a decision and a spectator is intimate knowledge factors. As a spectator we only base a substitution on which player is brought on and which player is brought off.
Farke has far more considerations to take into account, which we are generally oblivious to.

There have been no end of posts since he arrived about the manner of his substitutions and in game management. His win ratio record was the best in the top 5 leagues during 2024. We are sitting top of the table. I am not sure what there is to criticise tbh mate.

Some question his in game management, despite his record - Truly bizarre.

Questioning decisions I have no issue with, but unless spectators, fans etc have all the FACTS, it has little credence.

All the stories about Archie, when no one knew all the FACTS is a classic example.

[weasel]

The difference between Farke making a decision and a spectator is intimate knowledge factors. As a spectator we only base a substitution on which player is brought on and which player is brought off.
Farke has far more considerations to take into account, which we are generally oblivious to.

There have been no end of posts since he arrived about the manner of his substitutions and in game management. His win ratio record was the best in the top 5 leagues during 2024. We are sitting top of the table. I am not sure what there is to criticise tbh mate.

Some question his in game management, despite his record - Truly bizarre.

Questioning decisions I have no issue with, but unless spectators, fans etc have all the FACTS, it has little credence.

All the stories about Archie, when no one knew all the FACTS is a classic example.

Well put. Every decision made by the armchair managers would obviously have resulted in us winning the game. Farke is the only one who's decisions actually have to play out - he is on a hiding to nothing becuase unless he wins every match then the armchair selections would have been better - and even when he does win matches he still gets criticised by some fans.

Mateo Joseph is an example. People saying he should have started and would have made a difference. It would appear Joseph is the best player in the world - apart from when he is actually on the pitch. He has done nothing really of note on the pitch yet whenever Piroe doesn't score or assist then automatically it would appear that Joseph would have done better despite all the evidence to the contrary when he has been on the pitch.

[Cjay]

I didn't realise Sheffield United had so many injuries to first choice players.

Soutter,Rak-Sakyi, Campbell, Souza, Arblaster, that's 50% of the first choice team.

[mentalcase]

I didn't realise i wasn't allowed my own opinion, I rate Farke, I'm on of his fans, but, I'm allowed to say how I feel, armchair fan or not, if YOU lot think 5 subs with 30 full minutes to go is exceptional management, then maybe YOU lot need to think again, I think it's f**king amateurish.
Maybe thats the different result I want.

[andrewjohnsmith]

What different results do you want?

We are Top of the League.

If you listen to what opposing managers say, they all hate having to play us, they admire the way that DF uses his two dfms to deny the opposition possession and dominate the game. They know that they have to sit deep and hope they get a break or two.

That is testament to a highly respected coach.

No matter what anyone says about the Blackburn result or making the "wrong" subs - The holiday period is difficult for everyone. And we handled it better than the rest. Got more points. Went top and extended our lead at the top. Overall, job well done.

[Irish Ian]

I didn't realise i wasn't allowed my own opinion, I rate Farke, I'm on of his fans, but, I'm allowed to say how I feel, armchair fan or not, if YOU lot think 5 subs with 30 full minutes to go is exceptional management, then maybe YOU lot need to think again, I think it's f**king amateurish.
Maybe thats the different result I want.

As everyone is allowed to question each other's opinion.
In my case I asked you a question about yours.

And of course anyone can pick a particular incident and question Farkes decision making without knowing the facts.


Funny thing was some questioned Solomons subbing but we actually played better when he was..

Hindsight eh?

[andrewjohnsmith]

I didn't realise i wasn't allowed my own opinion, I rate Farke, I'm on of his fans, but, I'm allowed to say how I feel, armchair fan or not, if YOU lot think 5 subs with 30 full minutes to go is exceptional management, then maybe YOU lot need to think again, I think it's f**king amateurish.
Maybe thats the different result I want.

You have 9099 posts according to your profile. I think you know you're allowed o express your opinion