Liverpool V Leeds Utd Match Thread - Raphinha and Firpo Start

[mentalcase]

Take good care of yourself mate, being out in nature can help a lot (weather permitting!)

No such thing as bad weather, only incorrect clothing
Thank you

[Leeds1000]

Anything below 5 conceded will be a bonus. Liverpool will steam roll us in midfield, Forshaw will do his best but he's no bionic man. I hope Firpo is ok and Dallas pushes up to give us a little bit more intelligence in midfield. Pool are vg team Salah could get all 5 on his own he's that good. Its a funny old game and all that... I just hope the laugh doesn't turn into embarrassment again.

[CHAPELALLMAN]

Will Forshaw occupy the DM position for this game based upon his second half performance against Manure. Will Gelhardt and Raph start ?????
What formation will we play would - 4141 or will he go with 3 central defenders.
So many questions- I am beyond the point now of even trying to hazard a guess.
They have some of the best set piece deliverers in the prem. I expect absolutely nothing from this game and only hope we do not suffer a mauling. At the same time there is always that tiny glimmer of hope of an upset. I hope it does not get extinguished too early in the game. Still looking forward to it though.

4141 I guess given that they will play 433. However we attack with 3313 regardless of what formation we start with.

[whiteswan]

Very slightly
A death in the family (wifes side) an old comrade passed as well, the the PTSD kicking in, I've had many long walks in the woods.

Good to see you back MC.....you take care. Lots of walking in the woods is the best medicine

[mentalcase]

Good to see you back MC.....you take care. Lots of walking in the woods is the best medicine

Cheers

[velo]

Good to see you back MC.....you take care. Lots of walking in the woods is the best medicine

As long as you are not pulling a body behind you

[1964white]

We're up against one of the best teams in the world, who are pushing for trophies and glory.

They like the taste of glory. No chance will they take it easy on us, same as Citeh didn't.

Even without Jota and Firmino, they still have a brilliant squad and will field a talented team. Bear in mind that there is competition for places (remember that?) so their players will be hungry as hell to succeed and play in the big matches approaching them

They also have a World Cup approaching so will be looking to impress their national coaches. So look out, particularly with Citeh slipping up at the weekend.

We've seen 24 matches of largely failure from our team so far this season, so rather than place further faith in what continually hasn't worked why not give our talented young players a chance?

We've nowt to lose, so I'd go with:

Meslier
Ayling
Cresswell
Struijk
Firpo
Dallas
Bate
Forshaw
Raphinha
Gelhardt
James

I see what you did there , James

[1964white]

Very slightly
A death in the family (wifes side) an old comrade passed as well, the the PTSD kicking in, I've had many long walks in the woods.

Keep your pecker up, pal

[Kennyb41]

why not give our talented young players a chance?

We've nowt to lose, so I'd go with:

Meslier
Ayling
Cresswell
Struijk
Firpo
Dallas
Bate
Forshaw
Raphinha
Gelhardt
James

Could do some damage that^

Now you're thinking future Riot, i love it.

[LeeBrook]

I expect we'll concede another four goals to Liverpool.

[LeeBrook]

and that's if they go easy on us.

[velo]

and that's if they go easy on us.

I was going to say, what about the 2nd half ?

[Madron]

Can we not tell Liverpool we aren't feeling too well today and can we cancel the game ? Other teams did it a while ago.
Dreading this.

[1964white]

Fancy, going into games knowing LUFC are going to get battered.

Even when we were crap, I can't recall thinking prior to a game we'd concede many goals, yes we were heavily beaten by the likes of Luton, Blackpool, Sheff Wed, Birmingham, etc however I never expected such heavy defeats.

I suspect fans from other teams around us don't expect to concede so many goals.

As a fan of nearly 60 years following Leeds United, who has always admired the defensive side of our game, I've never been so despondent & disappointed with this facet of our game.

CLEAN SHEETS GAIN POINTS & WINS FOOTBALL MATCHES.

[mentalcase]

Fancy, going into games knowing LUFC are going to get battered.

Even when we were crap, I can't recall thinking prior to a game we'd concede many goals, yes we were heavily beaten by the likes of Luton, Blackpool, Sheff Wed, Birmingham, etc however I never expected such heavy defeats.

I suspect fans from other teams around us don't expect to concede so many goals.

As a fan of nearly 60 years following Leeds United, who has always admired the defensive side of our game, I've never been so despondent & disappointed with this facet of our game.

CLEAN SHEETS GAIN POINTS & WINS FOOTBALL MATCHES.

2 Seasons on trot at Stoke, think it was something like 6-1, then we said that will never happen again, next season 7-2 was it (can't remember exact scorelines)
I have faith toneet

[Overman]

Fancy, going into games knowing LUFC are going to get battered.

Even when we were crap, I can't recall thinking prior to a game we'd concede many goals, yes we were heavily beaten by the likes of Luton, Blackpool, Sheff Wed, Birmingham, etc however I never expected such heavy defeats.

I suspect fans from other teams around us don't expect to concede so many goals.

As a fan of nearly 60 years following Leeds United, who has always admired the defensive side of our game, I've never been so despondent & disappointed with this facet of our game.

CLEAN SHEETS GAIN POINTS & WINS FOOTBALL MATCHES.

That's how far our expectations have dropped, when it's a case of how many will we concede. If your defensive unit isn't strong in this league, then you're relegation fodder. So we work on the premise of out scoring the opponent, but don't have the players capable of this. This will go down to the wire.

[Kennyb41]

We're gonna score 1 more than you...........la la la.....la la la

Go on Bert, never waver, you can learn a lot from these tough games, you're on a hiding ta nowt.

We want another "WOW" from the whining German.

[Kennyb41]

Marcelo Bielsa has praised Leeds United fans for their support during the club's difficult run of form as his side prepare to face Liverpool at Anfield on Wednesday.

Leeds were beaten 4-2 by rivals Manchester United on Sunday, but the highly-charged atmosphere at Elland Road saw Bielsa's team come from two goals down to draw level within a minute in the second half.

"The fans have more patience than they should," said the Argentine.

"It's a recognition of what the team tries to achieve but they don't manage to. It's a recognition of what they deserve to get and what is witnessed.

"The attitude of the fans is an example to us. The ones who believe the most are our fans."

[Kennyb41]

Bielsa said defender Robin Koch is "perfect" after being taken off during the defeat by Manchester United on Sunday, but won't be fit to face Liverpool. He added the club's medical staff did everything in accordance to the Premier League protocols and the first evaluation of Koch's injury was a cut to the head.

He adds that "not every knock generates a substitution" but the situation with Koch changed when he manifested different symptoms. Bielsa then said that Leeds as a club have always abided by the health rules set "whether it is Covid or knocks to the head".

Other than Koch, there are no injury worries for Leeds ahead of the game with Liverpool.

On the prospect of getting a result at Anfield, Bielsa said "the defensive system" needs to improve. He says he is the one responsible for the number of goals (50) his side have conceded this season but points out Leeds were missing the likes of Kalvin Philips, Pascal Struijk and then Robin Koch in key areas against United.

The positive Bielsa is taking from Sunday's loss is that Leeds matched the Red Devils for creativity and dominance. "You could not see a big difference," he said. "The result was not our defeat. We did not get what we deserved to get."

Bielsa gave high praise to the supporters, who were in fine voice at Elland Road at the weekend. "The fans have more patience than they should," he said. "I think it's a recognition of what the team tries to achieve, but don't manage to."

How can Leeds disrupt Liverpool's momentum? "Stop their attacks damaging us and making our attacks damage them," said Bielsa. "Liverpool are one of the great teams in the league."

On whether Raphinha will start the game at Anfield after coming off the bench on Sunday, Bielsa said: "The team is always made up of more than 11 starters."

[Kennyb41]

Aye we don't miss Kalvin....

Leeds have conceded 30 goals in their last 11 Premier League matches. By contrast, in their final 11 games of last season they conceded just eight.

That run consisted of seven wins, three draws and one loss. They took points off Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United and recorded wins against Tottenham and Manchester City.

It will come as no surprise that England's Player of the Year, Kalvin Phillips, featured in nine of those 11 games. He is the rock on which Leeds' formation is built and no-one in the squad is as capable as Phillips at filling that role.

On Sunday, the Whites showed tremendous character against Manchester United to come out in the second half and restore parity with two goals in a thrilling 24 seconds.

In Raphinha, Rodrigo, Daniel James and Joe Gelhardt, Leeds looked fluid and threatening going forward.

If that quartet can become a consistent strike force, then the team just needs the defensive stability that Phillips can bring. Then the results will come.