Clear analysis but there is a lot (OK some...) I don't agree with :) First of all I think that Douglas has to go - he was a great statement signing but Wolves didn't get rid for nothing and it's not worked for him or for us. So I wish him all the best and every success but somewhere else please. For LB Alioski + a youngster as cover/ competition. BTW I think that Alioski will continue to improve as LB or WB but if his position is attacker or attacking midfielder then he's a luxury we can't afford.
I play football in FR and the good teams (actually "team") that I've played for will always prefer a holding midfielder (in Eng. - a constructing midfielder in Continental) to a flair player like Saiz. I suspect that Bielsa always wanted to play Philips & Forshaw together as the constructing bottom apexes of an attack minded W formation (hope that's understandable) but it's not worked. If Philips has been a revelation this year, Forshaw has been a disappointment. even though Rich Walker sees a player there. The obvious answer is Philips & a committed Paul Pogba :) but in the real world I think that we have to give Forshaw another year. Hernandez needs to 1. Add consistency to his game & 2. Have more confidence in his team mates. For me it stood out like a sore thumb on Monday that Hernandez's "big fish/ little pond" impression was (being polite) counter-productive. Hernandez is not Gordon Strachan and he should be asking himself why! Same for Jansson - I think that he should take some lessons from Cooper. Up front though is where our major failing this season is. And if Bamford is the solution then we've not understood the problem. A competent but limited midfield (such as ours) needs a highly mobile and always available forward line (whether 1, 2 or 3 forwards). That worked for Roofe until his injury but isn't working for Bamford. Roofe deserves the benefit of the doubt for the moment but we need to get rid of Bamford and replace him with 2 players - an efficient forward journeyman (Lee Chapman?) + a hungry youngster I hope that every player that I've criticized will prove me wrong in the next two games and then next year too. MOT! Damian On Wed, Apr 24, 2019 at 6:04 PM Simon McNally <[email protected]> wrote: > Like you I’m struggling not to be depressed about the whole thing. I > really hope we storm up through the playoffs but I can’t say I’m overly > confident. > I think your point about Bielsa is a good one. Hopefully he will be here > next season regardless of which division we’re in. He will have a good idea > of which areas need strengthening and which don’t, and also which players > on other teams we could be targeting. > If we don’t go up I’d be looking at the squad like this: > GK - Casillas with BPF as backup > RB - Ayling with youngster as backup. Ayling’s form dipped mid season but > I think Bielsa rates him - just wish he could cross a ball. > LB - I’d give Douglas another go here. Thought he was our best player > early on but form dipped, possibly related to injury. We have a few > youngsters in this position as well and would be interesting to see their > development. Hopefully not Dallas here! > CB - Cooper and Jansson have been named in PFA team of the year and you’d > have to think they’d be first choice again. I think we need more cover here > especially as Cooper seems to pick up a few injuries over course of season. > Berardi has done ok but not as assured in possession as the other two. > DM - Phillips has to play every week. Think we need better back up here > than Forshaw. > CM - Klich has had a decent year but the goals have dried up a bit. I’ve > seen it suggested that this might be due to the changing roles ahead of him > that aren’t creating the same amount of space as before. Again this may be > where we look for an upgrade or a youngster breaking through. Maybe a > better place for Forshaw to play. > The 3 behind the striker - I’d be interested to know what Bielsa’s > preferred mix is here. We started the year with Saiz at 10, Pablo right and > Alioski left , so a sort of winger plus two playmakers strategy. Then he > had Pablo at 10 with Harrison and Alioski wide, then Clarke wide with > Harrison and Pablo at 10 so two wingers and a playmaker. We’ve finished > with Pablo right, Harrison left and Roofe or Roberts at 10 so sort of > winger, second striker, playmaker. You’d hope next year that Pablo would > still be ok to play every week and Clarke would make the step up to playing > regularly too. I’d be tempted to play Shackleton at 10 to give us the > winger plus two playmakers we had earlier in the season. At any rate I > think we should be looking for a replacement for Saiz but it won’t be cheap > or easy to find. Forestieri at Wednesday would be amazing but can’t see > them selling, although he doesn’t strike me as a Steve Bruce sort of player! > Striker - Roofe’s injury hurt us because he seemed in great form and > hasn’t looked the same since he came back. Bamford has done ok, I think his > all round game is better than Roofe’s but is he the goal scorer we need? > His goals to games ratio isn’t that bad but there's been a lot of missed > chances. Saw an article the other day that said our expected goals (xG) has > been constantly high all year, we’ve just not taken our chances and > suggested that if Gayle , Pukki, Sharp or even Maupay played for Leeds we’d > have been promoted already. Think this has to be number one priority for > next year - proven goal scorer but like a Saiz replacement not cheap. > If we need to raise funds I’d listen to any offers for fringe first > teamers like Dallas, Berardi or Forshaw and either Roofe or Bamford. One > thing about Bielsa is that he’s improved all of the squad and we might be > able to get someone to pay over the odds - Everton always used to be a good > bet for that! > I’m not sure that Bielsa is a massive fan of Jansson- he’s taken him off a > couple of times recently and I reckon if someone makes a daft bid we’ll > sell. > > S > > Sent from my iPhone > > > On 23 Apr 2019, at 10:40, John Lee via Leedslist <[email protected]> > wrote: > > > > Yep, quite correct re Saiz - he wanted to go. The first 10 games or so > were a revelation, but players soon learnt how to play him, although at > times we’ve really missed the spark he produced. > > > > As for Casillas - he seems like a bit of a big-time charlie to me, but > he’s a bloody liability - it’s alright having jokers in your team, but not > in goal! Scares me to death every time he controls it and starts to dribble! > > > > The question for me is, IF Bielsa stays, and I really hope he does, has > he made enough notes about the sort of players he’s seen who will make our > team better ready for another crack at promotion next year. Now don’t start > moaning that I’m not a Leeds fan because that’s my view - I just don’t see > the current first team winning 3 cup finals! And if they do, then what? How > many of our first XI will be in a Premiership team? Hard to see any > definites. Anyway, that’s probably irrelevent - we need 5/6 new players - > not squad players, but first teamers, just to compete in the championship! > Two solid centre backs, a creator supreme, and 2 decent forwards. > > > > At the start of the season almost every commentator, without exception, > said Leeds could not keep up the same pace all season - really galling to > discover that is true so close to proving them wrong, but there we are. > > > > I wonder if our tactics will be the same in the playoffs? > > > > John > > Still depressed! > > > > Sent from my iPad > > > >> On 23 Apr 2019, at 10:13, Richard Naef <[email protected]> > wrote: > >> > >> Well, we didn't get rid, he insisted on leaving, no point in having an > unhappy player. As for not replacing him, the list of affordable January > signings of his calibre was? > >> > >> Not a dig at you, but Fans always think there is a simple solution, but > often it's more complex, has Kiko been a roaring success of would we have > been better keeping faith with BPF? We'll never know, but the RM 3rd > choice keeper doesn't fil me with confidence. > >> > >> ttfn > >> > >> Richard > >> > >> -----Original Message----- > >> From: Leedslist <[email protected]> On Behalf Of Graham Farr > >> Sent: 22 April 2019 21:57 > >> To: Leeds List <[email protected]> > >> Subject: [LU] Now what > >> > >> I said a few weeks ago we got rid of Saiz in January and did not > replace him. We were on fire early season with him Pablo Alioski all at it. > I really think we should go with some of the Under 23s for the play offs > just for the surprise factor. Kids have no fear. How Ayling keeps his place > ahead of Shack hope the lad does not ask for a transfer. > >> > >> > >> _______________________________________________ > >> Leedslist mailing list > >> Info and options: https://mailman.gn.apc.org/mailman/listinfo/leedslist > >> To unsubscribe, email [email protected] > >> > >> Find us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/leedslist/ > >> > >> RIP Jimmy WAC-COE > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Leedslist mailing list > > Info and options: https://mailman.gn.apc.org/mailman/listinfo/leedslist > > To unsubscribe, email [email protected] > > > > Find us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/leedslist/ > > > > RIP Jimmy WAC-COE > > _______________________________________________ > Leedslist mailing list > Info and options: https://mailman.gn.apc.org/mailman/listinfo/leedslist > To unsubscribe, email [email protected] > > Find us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/leedslist/ > > RIP Jimmy WAC-COE > _______________________________________________ Leedslist mailing list Info and options: https://mailman.gn.apc.org/mailman/listinfo/leedslist To unsubscribe, email [email protected] Find us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/leedslist/ RIP Jimmy WAC-COE
