Leeds United (H) | PL | Post Match Thread

[domalino]

A quality issue is exactly what it is

Nah, the forum loves to pretend players are shit when they're just not playing well, but quality is not our problem as much as application. We have enough quality to beat most PL sides comfortably.

There seems to be a general malaise around the club. We're only getting 7/10 from most of the players.

Pep said they were scared after Wednesday, I don't think we can know exactly what it is from the outside but they look jaded and low on confidence. Uninspired.

If they were all performing at their best and we were losing, then it'd be a quality issue, but I dare you to pick anyone playing at their best right now.

 

[Earlyriser]

Indeed!

A lot of our fanbase need to get real, get used to this City side not being a very top side anymore and just get behind the players we have.

Plus football is like this anyway. Even very top sides can be utterly shit from time-to-time. We were no worse today than we were at home to Crystal Palace in the Fourmidables season, at home to United and Leeds in 2020-21, or against Brentford and Everton at home in the treble season. Yet we had much better sides in those seasons than we do now.

Having a top side is 90% down to pure chance that a team needs players in positions where top players are available and want to sign for you at that very moment in time. Sometimes teams have long runs of that happening but, it never lasts forever, then it’s someone else’s turn at the top.

That’s English football. Unfortunately, at the moment we’ve just slid in quality somewhat from our very top sides a few recent years ago. Add to that we have a small number of players who are in their prime years in our squad, loads of young lads and loads who’ve not played more than a dozen to two dozen PL games. But that shouldn’t make us carbon copies of slapped-arse Rags and Scousers because these players aren’t performing to levels we’ve seen from much better to players than them.

I hope the early leavers enjoy watching the 349th City goal they’ve missed after the 80minute mark since the takeover, and it was a match winner to boot!, on Match of the Day, experiencing none of it themselves.

It could be argued that the complacency demonstrated in the post is the root of the problem

 

[blueinsa]

We are playing shit though? Just because we was shit and we call it out doesnt mean we didn't support city when we was Shit Shit.

We are not playing shit.

As fluently as we did at our peak of powers? Clearly not but shit?

You don’t sit where we are if you’re a shit team.

 

[Tolmie scores]

First half was brilliant

Second half, what the fuck was that?

Cheers Phil for getting us out of it

We are second still, which is mental.

First half, they were terrible, best start by us in a long time, but didnt really create much else until the second... we were ok v bang average side then....fk me

 

[madloaf]

One man team, if Haaland doesn’t keep scoring we’re fucked, oh wait…….

We're two more games of him drawing a blank away from the "we're better without haaland" clan coming out of their bunker.

 

[Bluearmy]

That won´t happen with the current crop of players we have.

We need 4/5 players at least to challenge for the league imo.

RB, CM, LW, RW required 100%

Then concerns at LB, CB, DM (if Rodri continues to struggle) and back up striker.

No team/squad is perfect but were miles off Arsenal as we stand.

The other issue is, for the last 4 years our signings have been questionable at best. Not many have been a roaring success. So even if we get those players in, will we make good choices?

 

[Blue Til Death]

if foden doesnt score who's going to score

Funny enough some have been asking who’s going to score if big Erl doesn’t, there’s the answer ..

 

[citeh94]

Can't excuse that 2nd half but the referees performance needs investigating...

What did he book donnarumma for? constantly blowing his whistle at us when we’re chasing the game not Leeds. Disgraceful.

 

[malg]

One man team, if Haaland doesn’t keep scoring we’re fucked, oh wait…….

Nope. It's not Haaland who makes us a one man team, it's Rodri. By fuck are we missing that fella.

 

[Eaststander1]

Fucks sake, you'll take it all day long but that second half was fucking shit

Terrible pass out from Nunes in the first place, and then when he gets another bite at clearing it he puts it straight in Calvert Lewins' path!

 

[Norbert D]

In the second half, we had 1 shot (blocked) up until the 88th minute, during the same period, Leeds had 6, including 2 goals. Pep didn't make sub or any meaningful tactical/structural change until Cherki came on in the 75th minute, when we had dropped a 2 goal lead.

A huge part of Pep's role is to adapt to what is happening on the pitch and change the way we are playing, through tactics or substitutions. Yes the players needed to be better than they were, but it's on him to correct them. He just wasn't good enough or quick enough to react in that second half.

Literally every game this season we have come out for the second half looking leggy and off the pace. Yet Pep just sits there staring into space.

 

[noseve]

Whilst we have a much improved shot stopper who will save us more times than not..he is SHIT at crosses..always has been. Clubs are targeting him at corners and free kicks, he's weak doesnt use his body... flaps...in those situations, but what a shot stopper

Actually, although I agree about the crosses - I think Donnarumma's the best change we've made. A brilliant signing.

But with that defence, we could have him and Ederson in there together and eventually we'd still be found out.

 

[discopop]

We're two more games of him drawing a blank away from the "we're better without haaland clan coming out of their bunker".

It was ever thus

 

[asahartford1]

No savinho to hate on today . Eh?

Never you mind , some will still blame him.

 

[eyalluvitt]

Always the bridesmaid

 

[marco]

We're not in a title race. We are clinging on to Arsenal, but they're head and shoulders above us. I don't think I'm a doom and gloomer, and we are rebuilding, fine, but we are miles off it.

we'l have better days than today but not much worse,we'l string a run at some point and arsenal will drop their knickers,allways happens ;-)

 

[Bluearmy]

What the fuck has happened to us since that Liverpool win? That second half was rancid. Take the 3 and move on

They're somehow significantly worse than us

 

[Luke The Blue]

We are not playing shit.

As fluently as we did at our peak of powers? Clearly not but shit?

You don’t sit where we are if you’re a shit team.

We sit where we do cos luckily other teams have dropped off this season if you can't see that you're deluded.

 

[tornandfrayed]

It could be argued that the complacency demonstrated in the post is the root of the problem

Unless you can find an example of a PL team that has never had ups and downs your argument is nonsense.

 

[SkyBlueFlux]

We are playing shit though? Just because we was shit and we call it out doesnt mean we didn't support city when we was Shit Shit.

But are we playing shit? We're 2nd. I don't think we are. I think every game we've won, we deserved on balance to win. Nobody gets lucky in this league, your position in the table largely represents where you should be. By that token, if we are shit, then literally the only not shit team in the whole league is Arsenal.

The truth is that it's a total lack of perspective. We are not even close to playing shit. We are just playing less well than you're used to seeing a City side play, which is a massive fucking difference. People on here expect us to blow literally every team away easily, which frankly comes across as the kind of entitlement we criticise other teams of.