Worked hard last night to keep perspective. That we are playing great football, that our mediocre championship side has been transformed into the best footballing team in the league (if not most effective/scoring/winning) and in recent memory. That we have a superb football philosophy and a manager with an amazing philosophy to all things football related. Expectations have become high, and crowds are fuller, and with such high expectations - based on us being better (possesion and dominating wise) than everyone we've played in most of almost every game we've played, with it comes frustrations and even, when Preston tapped the ball into our open net last net, an outburst of outrage. I thought Preston were pretty decent. And an away draw at a top team is not that bad - despite that we should and could have won. I thought Bamford had a pretty decent game, except for the all-important business of scoring. I'm frustrated because we are playing everyone off the park, playing some fantastic attacking football and capable of beating everyone. How good is that. That we have lost the way to penetrate the box or score when we do will be remedied from time to time and it will be a good, hopefully great season. Shame it didn't work out with Saiz, but Pablo often brings a key, and I think Tyler could help in that respect too, as well as Helder seeming to start to get the idea of what to do and could start opening things up.
I don't have any right to criticise Bielsa, though I'd love to see us trying something a bit different around their box as the players seem to accept/expect that we're going to continue to fail to score, which isn't a rut I want us to develop. What happened last 10 minutes last night? Thought we played with a bit more urgency, a bit more determination/desperation. Is that something w could/should replicate from the outset? Marcelo has talked in the past about playing both Bamford and Eddie would reduce our dominance and the number of created chances by removing a midfield player. After the game last night....I will quote from LeedsLive transcript: Seems fair comment that they haven't had a chance to work out the game in practice, "They can play together. They should play one behind the other. This player will be Bamford, naturally. Take this kind of decision you can take in two different ways. For one clear need of the team, or because you are convinced they can play together and combine movement between them. We never had proof of this kind of combination in our training. Nketiah is not with us in the international break, because we play twice a week. In the week, when we prepare there are few chances to try these things. The other reason is when you have a series of bad results and you have to find a different solution. That didn’t happen. I think all these around Bamford and Nketiah doesn’t help either of them. Nketiah has to make the function to try to change the course of the match when we are losing and he’s not playing. Bamford appears responsible for Nketiah not playing. and we know how MB values training, practice and players confidently knowing what to do (and we have plenty of evidence of the fruits of that attitude). And in defence of starting Bamford, when they were swapped at half time, we struggled to dominate without PB and EN scarcely got a chance, so it would suggest that learning how to play with Eddie rather than PB could need some work first. Earlier He also interestingly said: When you have more than one option for the team, it’s never a problem. It’s two solutions for one problem. I try to manage this. When you manage this, this fact had some difficulties the supporters cannot see. It’s natural people argue with my decision because they don’t have all the reasons I have. Bamford is a great player and Eddie Nketiah is a great player as well. I am forced to make both of them a success this year because if not I am not going to take advantage. If one has success I will not be able to take advantage of the other one. This process lasts nine month and we have 46 matches or 50 matches. We are in the 25 per cent of the competition. We have time in the future so I can find a way both of them will shine. If this doesn’t happen it’s not going to be a mistake of mine. In the last press conference I said if Nketiah is not a success here it’s my fault. It’s the same with Patrick. I am trying to make this work. Earlier this week I was interested to watch for once his pre-match press conference, he seemed disinterested, never once looked up or at anyone, until near the end when a journalist asked along the lines of 'if Costa's main threat is his pace, by pressing high, aren't you denying him the space to use that pace to the full'. Suddenly MB looked up and happy to engage with a more interesting and tactically valid criticism - his argument was for his passion for the high press, its advantages and how Helder can contribute - with pace - in such a system, all the while reiterating that he could well be wrong and his is not necessarily the best or right way. While I'm here, was reflecting on thoughts that MB stops getting the best out of teams/players as time/seasons progress. And thought about what I'm seeing: Haven't noticed Luke or Mateuz getting better this season But for me Kiko, Dallas, Cooper, Alioski, Phillips, Harrison, Bamford and probably Roberts are still improving Eddie and Helder too soon Pablo and White - hard really to see how they would improve I haven't seen enough of Beradi and Forshaw. So. Everything is rosy. iffy N. _______________________________________________ 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
