For me this was a poor game,littered with mistakes and very few shots / goal scoring chances. We started with a 4-3-3 formation. How many managers at Leeds in the past have tried this? You can't go looking for a win at home with this formation especially when you consider Byram is no right winger and Woods is not exactly quick and actually not the best target man.
For the first 30 minutes we had a lot of possession and tried to play football, unfortunately this just highlighted our weaknesses and also the failure of the system. In midfield we played with Adeyemi and Mowatt, who in my opinion when playing together look very pedestrian. They are both one paced and offer very little going forward, Adeyemi would argue he is in the team to break up the play and get the tackles in which to be fair he does at times however what is Mowatt's excuse ? Too fat? Dallas and Taylor tried their best to get things going down the left and did force a few corners but not much was happening. At the other end it took Brentford 35 minutes to start playing and it was mainly due to poor play and mistakes from us. Sol Bamba decided that today would be a Bambi on ice performance. Poor back passes and poor control kept putting us under pressure. When your captain is playing like a novice you're going to struggle. On the ball Brentford appeared to be quicker and more decisive. Again I think this might be a reflection of how pedestrian some of our midfielders were in comparison but in Alan Judge they had a tricky left winger who looked a yard quicker than us. Their goal was simple pass and move football that carved us apart and it was clear to me that they were better side and would go on to win this comfortably. Half-time Rosler changed the line up and formation and all credit to him because I know quite a few managers who would have continued until 53 minutes after the half time bollocking (Simon Grayson for one). Antenucci came on and Mowatt off and we started to play as a 4-4-2 with Antenucci coming deep to pick up the ball. It transformed our play and we looked a different team with Antenucci looking dangerous with every touch. Woods got more involved and was unlucky with a deflected shot which hit the post and with the crowd now up for it an equaliser was inevitable. It was also inevitable that Antenucci would get it. He was the difference and his goal showed he can score a bucket load this season with both feet. It wasn't quite as good as the Burnley goal but it was similar and a very well taken, top quality goal. Brentford continued to look for the win at the other end and had a few half chances. There was a bit of a melee amongst the players when Judge tried a bit of play acting which didn't go down too well. At the end we had a shout for a penalty when their player used his arm to control the bar. It was a penalty but it would have been harsh on Brentford who over 99 minutes were the better team for me. We relied on Antenucci and didn't look like a team at all. Unbeaten yes but I think there's a lot of work to do. Scores: Silvestri - 5. Didn't have a lot to do other than pick the ball out of the net and come out quick to intercept some miscalculated back passes. The reason I've marked him low is his kicking which was the worst I've seen since the rule change ruined John Lukic. Beradi -6. I think he had a difficult job against MOTM Judge but stuck to his task well. Taylor - 7. I thought he did very well. He is getting stronger and rarely comes off worse in 50:50s. I still think he has more to offer in midfield. Bamba - 4. I thought his first half performance was his worst since he joined. He played like a pissed up Roque- Junior. Terrible. He did improve second half but we can't afford our captain to have off days like this. Cooper - 7. I thought he played well and he needed to because his partner didn't turn up in the first half. Tries to get forward and is actually pretty effective but surely that is the midfield's job ? Adeyemi - 5. Limited footballer, pedestrian. Doesn't offer much. I don't think there's room for players like this in a promotion chasing team (are we ?). Mowatt - 3. Again he disappointed. I hate the short corners and I hate watching him running through treacle. He's a young lad with a nice left foot but I'm not sure he's going to make it. Dallas - 7. He tried everything to get things going down the left wing but I thought he was too isolated. I think he will improve. Byram - 5. Like a lot of his team mates, first half he wasn't at the races. The formation relied on him playing as an out and out right winger. He isn't and playing that role when your confidence at the moment is low was never going to be a winning formula. I thought he came into more second half and started to move around a bit and get on the ball. He had a couple of shots that were woefully wide. I think we need a right winger (where was Bokota ?) and move Byram more central to play alongside Cook. Cook - 7. I thought he was the pick of the bunch of the players who played the full 94 minutes. He harried, tackled, tried to play football however you can't do it alone. He must be very frustrated playing alongside Mowatt and Adeyemi. Woods - 5. No service at all however he won little in the air and didn't figure at all. He doesn't have pace / acceleration so needs support which he got second half with the introduction of Antenucci. He was much improved second half and was unlucky not to score but I'm still not convinced. Subs: Murphy - 6. To be fair to the lad I thought he did well when he came in. Good control, simple effective football which is what was needed and missing in the first half. However, he had two very good shooting chances which he placed into Row Z. Antenucci - 9. Changed the game, scored a top goal and saved us from defeat. Can't ask for anymore than that. Rosler - got is so wrong today. Somebody should tell him that 4-3-3 at home doesn't work. Brainless management. Surely got to start with 4-4-2 for Ipswich. Crowd - asleep in the first half, came alive second. _______________________________________________ Leedslist mailing list Info and options: http://mailman.greennet.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/leedslist To unsubscribe, email [email protected] MARCHING ON TOGETHER
