Brighton 0-0 Leeds Utd Match Thread

[Boo Radley]

I don't think Bamford is the answer, the whole team is in disarray

I agree with this.

Now there will be too much pressure on Bamford to save the day for us. We have to remember that he has never been that prolific on goals V chances.

Last year we were creating chances for fun. This year they are as rare as hens teeth. Will he score like he did last year in the remainder of the season? I don’t think so, and that’s down to how we are playing now. There’s less of a press, our wingers are lacking execution and confidence and there is less support from midfield through the centre.

We need everyone to step up and we need Bielsa to settle on a functioning unit. The constant change in roles and positions is further unhinging the team.

[mentalcase]

I agree with this.

Now there will be too much pressure on Bamford to save the day for us. We have to remember that he has never been that prolific on goals V chances.

Last year we were creating chances for fun. This year they are as rare as hens teeth. Will he score like he did last year in the remainder of the season? I don’t think so, and that’s down to how we are playing now. There’s less of a press, our wingers are lacking execution and confidence and there is less support from midfield through the centre.

We need everyone to step up and we need Bielsa to settle on a functioning unit. The constant change in roles and positions is further unhinging the team.

Agreed.
Also, cannot for the life in me understand why DJ is being played as CF when we have one on the bench, probably Bielsa being Bielsa, loads of different teams and pundits and fans alike have been praising JG, but Bielsa won't pick him until he decides to pick him.

[billysboots]

Philips or Gelhardt should be playing CF in Bamfords absence, not Dan James.
If this has been an experiment it hasn’t worked.

[BGwhite]

Our goal difference is gonna take a battering against those top sides if we play like we have done so far this season

That will also send the confidence of these players into a downward spiral.

In our predicament I'd pack the midfield with 1 up front and hope for the best.

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[Byebyegeegee]

I must admit that for the first time since Bielsa joined I am on the verge of being critical of him.

Like others have pointed out I fail to see why he plays Dan James as centre forward when Gelhardt has proved recently that he would be up to the task. Why he has Phillips at cb instead of dm then takes him off at half time and puts Struijk (a cb) at dm. Why, instead of playing Drameh, a specialist right back, he prefers to put Llorente (a cb) there 1st half, then Shackleton a midfielder there for the 2nd half.

Our personnel and team positions seem to be all over the place at the moment, which might be something to do with injuries, but we still have back up specialists for each position who imo are not being utilised properly.

You could argue that Bielsa’s square peg in round hole strategy has more or less worked up to now but there will come a point where this strategy, combined with a touch of belligerence and “I know best” arrogance, fails and judging by yesterday’s game and tbh most of this season so far, that point may have been reached.

If I, as one of Bielsa’s staunchest supporters, am on the verge then you just know that the situation is becoming serious. I still have faith that he and the team can turn things around but we need to see some signs soon. 6pts from the next two matches would be handy before the real onslaught of 4 or so really tough games where no points at all wouldn’t be a surprise.

I am not certainly advocating for a change of Manager yet but….

[White Riot]

In our predicament I'd pack the midfield with 1 up front and hope for the best.

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That would make a change from a midfield vacuum.

I would go with players in their most comfortable positions rather than reinventing the wheel.

Meslier
Drameh
Llorente
Struijk
Dallas
Phillips
Forshaw
Bate
Raphinha
Gelhardt
James

[BGwhite]

Obviously Llorent left wing, Rapha holding midfielder and Phillips up top , yeah I'd go with that WR.

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[Finnatic]

Also, cannot for the life in me understand why DJ is being played as CF when we have one on the bench, probably Bielsa being Bielsa, loads of different teams and pundits and fans alike have been praising JG, but Bielsa won't pick him until he decides to pick him.

Bielsa won’t pick him until he is ready to perform at a higher level physically once or twice a week.
Gelhardt made his full debut last Sunday and lasted an hour which is good, but he’s only 19 or just turned 20 and will be totally fatigued.
Why play him six days later when we have a game on Tuesday night?
That’s nine days to recover instead of six.
It seems obvious to me but some people see it differently.

The Firpo choice instead of Struijk at LWB in theory, was the right choice.
Firpo has more pace than any of the other defenders, so as our new specialist left back, he along with Cooper as the left sided CB of the three, should have been able to cope with Lamptey’s pace - it didn’t work but that’s down to the player not doing his job properly not Bielsa for playing him in his preferred role.
Had Bielsa played Struijk there and he got done for pace, people would have been slagging him for playing players out of position, square pegs in round holes etc.

[mentalcase]

Lamptey is mega fast , therefore I would have had James coming back to help protect with Firpo not lazy Harrison, you telling me a kid of 19 can't lake twice a week !!!

[1964white]

The sky commentator pointed out that prior to the game we were only 3 points better off last season.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
14 Leeds United 12 4 2 6 17 22 -5 14
15 Arsenal 12 4 1 7 10 15 -5 13
16 Brighton and Hove Albion 12 2 4 6 15 21 -6 10
17 Burnley 11 2 3 6 6 18 -12 9
18 Fulham 12 2 2 8 12 22 -10 8
19 West Bromwich Albion 12 1 3 8 9 25 -16 6
20 Sheffield United 12 0 1 11 5 21 -16 1

VOAL

The commentator forgot to mention that the bottom three teams had accumulated fewer points last season :

18. Burnley 9 points
19. Norwich 9 points
20. Newcastle 6 points

Also, we were six points clear of the bottom three with six clubs below us.

[1964white]

We need everyone to step up and we need Bielsa to settle on a functioning unit. The constant change in roles and positions is further unhinging the team.

Yes Boo, Bielsa needs to get his act together & stop his obsessive square pegs in round holes & playing his favourites scenario.

Play the majority of the team in their correct positions & the ones in form who deserve their place in the team.

[1964white]

That would make a change from a midfield vacuum.

I would go with players in their most comfortable positions rather than reinventing the wheel.

Meslier
Drameh
Llorente
Struijk
Dallas
Phillips
Forshaw
Bate
Raphinha
Gelhardt
James

A few changes, but an improved line-up with a solid look about it than the disjointed team selected yesterday.

[White Riot]

Obviously Llorent left wing, Rapha holding midfielder and Phillips up top , yeah I'd go with that WR.

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What about Meslier as rush goalie

[BGwhite]

What about Meslier as rush goalie

Now that's just silly

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[1964white]

Bielsa won’t pick him until he is ready to perform at a higher level physically once or twice a week.
Gelhardt made his full debut last Sunday and lasted an hour which is good, but he’s only 19 or just turned 20 and will be totally fatigued.
Why play him six days later when we have a game on Tuesday night?
That’s nine days to recover instead of six.
It seems obvious to me but some people see it differently.

The Firpo choice instead of Struijk at LWB in theory, was the right choice.
Firpo has more pace than any of the other defenders, so as our new specialist left back, he along with Cooper as the left sided CB of the three, should have been able to cope with Lamptey’s pace - it didn’t work but that’s down to the player not doing his job properly not Bielsa for playing him in his preferred role.
Had Bielsa played Struijk there and he got done for pace, people would have been slagging him for playing players out of position, square pegs in round holes etc.

Are you Bielsa's son, Finn

Other young players don't suffer fatigue, playing 60 minutes after a six-day rest.

Struijk had a great game against a strong Spurs team playing as a LWB, we were more solid when Pascal came on yesterday, he should be an automatic starter imo!

I don't want to see Firpo in a Leeds shirt again until he is fully-fit & learns how to defend efficiently, stick him in the U23's for a while, if he gets the runaround by the opposition kids we'll soon realise he's not up to PL standard. His performance was embarrassing yesterday.

Bring back Charlie Taylor!

[White Riot]

A few changes, but an improved line-up with a solid look about it than the disjointed team selected yesterday.

I still maintain that the only player Bielsa has been able to successfully mold into another position is KP.

The mantra a while ago was that Bielsa confused the opposition by man marking and putting square pegs in round holes, but that no longer seems to hold water. Our "superior fitness" doesn't seem to be lasting for 90 minutes either. When you looked at the faces of Potter and his players, like many other teams, you can see that they're not daunted at all by facing us, and expect to win, by immediately exploiting our lack of cohesion. Teams are now looking shocked if they don't beat us.

On a number of occasions this season our players have looked confused, unhappy, lacking confidence and determination to win, and most alarmingly they've been unable to complete the most simple of passes.

Time for MB to earn his corn and sort the mess out.

[Finnatic]

Lamptey is mega fast , therefore I would have had James coming back to help protect with Firpo not lazy Harrison, you telling me a kid of 19 can't lake twice a week !!!

Not in the role he will be asked to play for Leeds, no.
If we played two strikers that’s a different matter.

[White Riot]

Now that's just silly

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As silly as James, or Harrison, at number 9?

[White Riot]

Yes Boo, Bielsa needs to get his act together & stop his obsessive square pegs in round holes & playing his favourites scenario.

Play the majority of the team in their correct positions & the ones in form who deserve their place in the team.

I agree, sounds simple, but why make life easy when you can make it difficult?

For us I mean, not the opposition

[1964white]

Lamptey is mega fast , therefore I would have had James coming back to help protect with Firpo not lazy Harrison, you telling me a kid of 19 can't lake twice a week !!!

I rated Lamptey last season, he has suffered a couple of serious injuries since

Our oil tanker of a defence struggles to cope with players who run at them with pace, yes Lamptey is lightening fast, however defenders need to stick close to him, not daydream & allow him to have first run on them.

Many kids in the PL & across Europe play twice a week, it's a ridiculous notion to suggest they can't.

I reckon Joe would be really p*ssed off watching our lazy Spanish international ambling around, producing nothing of note & a winger showing how not to play the No.9 role.