Manchester Utd v Leeds Utd Match Thread

[1964white]

FULL TIME 6-2

One to forget, Burnley is what matters!

Indeed Adam, Burnley & West Brom games are of much more importance, we mustn't lose to either of them. Hopefully we'll pick ourselves up & acquire the necessary points

[1964white]

On a side note, eight goals. Five scored by McTominay (2), Lindelof, Cooper and Dallas - what odds could you have got on that?

Big odds Harry

[White Riot]

Me too, today and Chelsea was expected, those 2 were unacceptable but it's all part of the process. For years we've pined to get here, now we're here let's enjoy what we can

Exactly, we'll get some beating an dish a few out. goes with the territory

We got our medicine today, so let's take it out on Burnleh and WBA.

[1964white]

Forget it. Never happened.

Let's get three points from Burnley.

Indeed John

I was over it after three minutes

[andrewjohnsmith]

On the brighter side:

Leeds 17 points from 14 games
WBA & Fulham combined 17 points from 28 games

[Leeds1000]

Its all about perspective. I think it was Allan Smith who was talking about expectation on a vid somewhere. If we finish 4th bottom its a successful season for me. If we finish anywhere near mid-table we have over achieved, especially with such a small squad. We just have to except in the PL we will probably lose more than we win, something we have not been used to over the last few seasons.

We have to earn the right to play in the PL before we start getting delusions of grandeur. Yes it was poor today, but Newcastle fans have been saying that for god knows how many years. Its a massive step up in class but on our day we have shown we can match it. It could be worse we could support Arsenal.

[1964white]

There was an early moment in the match that made me laugh.

The commentator said that the rivalry between us and them goes back to the start of the Premier League. Admittedly he did go on to say 'and beyond that', but it did make me think yet again about how at times some treat the Premier League as the 'start' of football.

Modern commentators only believe football only started with the arrival of Sky & the Premier League

[1964white]

Tonight is a reality check, but some just refuse to be realistic.

We didn’t get anything from a game we weren’t expected to win,

I’m not embarrassed either. We move on to a game we should have a better chance in and I’ll continue to appreciate the mindset and endeavour that I’ve so enjoyed watching these past two years.

Posted on another topic that Manure would probably have far too much quality & pace for us to cope with, realistically it was always going to be a tough ask Davy

[White Riot]

WBA smashed again tonight and Livermore sent off

[1964white]

What do some people on this forum want?
Set up not to lose, lose 1-0, not create a chance in reply ?
It’s still a defeat.
I’ve never known us have 17 attempts at goal v scum ever.
Koch and Llorente in defence and Ayling at right back, surely it would have been closer.
It is what it is and it will be the same style against the next opponent.

I would have thought so Finn

[1964white]

I'm not saying we should stick 10 men behind the ball, but why not stick another midfielder in there? We are far too open for teams allowing so much space.

I actually mentioned a couple of weeks ago we may benefit by playing two DM's v certain teams.

Unsure it would have made much difference today though

[1964white]

Bielsa is getting the maximum out of this team. Phillips is of top 6 team quality and no other players are. Rushing forward in attack is reliant on not giving the ball away cheaply but we have an abundance of players who do this - Raphinha being the worst culprit.

Welcome to MOT pjbull

[1964white]

Very Good Davis!

I've always liked young Davis, thought he did fine when he came on. His run from deep & slide rule pass to Ailoski (I think) was excellent

[1964white]

Why not give him a chance at LB rather than trying to turn him into a CB?

Better as LB imo

[The Subhuman]

Agreed, he plays the way that suits the players.

I don't agree because I think we've seen on multiple occasions he adapts players to suit his system. System first and I don't think it's an easy system to alter mid game whomever the players are..

[1964white]

I'm not suggesting we do, I wouldnt change the starting XI for Burnley, injuries aside.

But both Chelsea and Manchester United have matched us in terms or energy and with their better players they win their 1v1 battles. Maybe against the top sides we need to be a little more pragmatic. Against everyone else in the league I wouldn't change a thing.

I think Cooper will be a enforced change

[1964white]

And that has to be the thing this season, anything against the top 6 is a bonus, not a necessity but against the bottom 6, it's imperative we win the majority of them

Very much so

[dezzy]

A horrible result. Far too easy for them to score. As has been said Burnley and WBA are massive games. Burnley will be tough, but I’d back our lads to pick up 6 from those two games which would put us in such a good position, massive run of games

[CHAPELALLMAN]

Last season every time Phillips was out Bielsa would change everyone about so that our best defender Ben White played that role. It’s a weakness of Bielsa he hates team change.

Yes we have two defenders out but Struijk started the first game of the season. Ayling has been outstanding at RB and Dallas adequate at LB... Now we’re in a situation where the majority of the time Ayling is mediocre at CB, Dallas is poor at RB and Alioski is abysmal at LB.

When Llorente and Koch were both injured it should have been as we were and slot Struijk in there at CB. As for the problem with midfield Rodrigo is Spain’s number 9 he was brought in as competition for Bamford.

I call for Rodrigo to be included as I just want to see him on the pitch, I don’t want to see a record £27m player on the bench. Bamford has some goals this season but he’ll miss at least two chances a game that any other teams striker would put away.

How many teams in the PL would swap their striker with Bamford? Harrison is another who has an outstanding 9/10 game then he’ll string 3-4 together where he is pretty poor.

I accept survival is the game, I accept its work in progress but I just get frustrated watching virtually half a team playing out of position.

Well said.

Rodrigo has been capped 25 times as a full international for Spain as a no 9, yet Bielsa has never started him up front. I also think that one of Bielsa's big weaknesses as a manager is that he plays so much of his team out of position. In a way he outsmarts himself. Dallas playing in CM or at RB has not worked, Alioski at LB has not worked, Phillips and Ayling as CBs has not worked, White at DM did not work and Rodrigo was not supposedly brought in to play no 10 - that didn't work today either.

To move on from here I think he needs to start playing players in their natural positions and to maybe use two DMs. Maybe Davis can come in at LB with Ayling moved to his natural position at RB. Hernandez back at no 10 and Rodrigo given a chance at no 9.

[CHAPELALLMAN]

My thoughts exactly the same. It's set up as a 4-1-4-1, but that means 2 of the 4 should be central midfielders. Like you stated, it started with Phillips, Klich, and Forshaw and has been Dallas in midfield at times.

It morphed with Pablo moving central and then Rodrigo. I think Rodrigo has to keep playing the same role becasue he's class. But with Klich playing the same line there's too much of a gap between the back 5 (defense plus KP). We've seen many games this season with KP getting overrun by 2 or 3 midfielders. To make it work with Rodrigo, we need two holding midfielders. That means Klich has to sit a little deeper.

Isn't the central midfielder ( Klich ) supposed to play a bit deeper than the no 10 ? I wonder if Hernandez played a bit deeper in the no 10 role than Rodrigo, so that there wasn't such a big gap in the midfield between Klich and Phillips ? Right now there is a gap. If we have two DMs ( Klich and Phillips ) then maybe the no 10 will need to play deeper than Rodrigo tends to do, otherwise there would be a huge gap in midfield.