A few thoughts: I thought we were really poor in the first half and were lucky to be level at half-time. The pitch is awful and players were slipping off the ball and it won't surprise me if we and other teams get some bad injuries on it in the coming months. We seemed to be playing with 3 at the back but it wasn't working due to the fact we had no midfield to speak of and everytime we got the ball we gave away. Llorente was guilty of that a couple of times but on the flip side he did play one great ball out from the back which shows he has the ability to do so. We did have our moments with Raphinha getting past his man and staying on his feet and putting on a plate for Roberts who skyed it into the South Stand in a way that only he can. Roberts looks sharp to me and the way he travels with the ball and plays his passes is impressive and getting better but until he can at least get those sorts of chances on goal he's going to struggle at this level. Klich doesn't look fit and without him in midfield and a back 3 you are going to struggle to get the ball to the wingers. Harrison looks lacking in confidence and Raphinha did his best tomake things work including a great ball from Dallas which put him one on one with their keeper. It was a great tackle by their defender but he should have converted. I thought the feigning injury to excuse his miss was a bit poor but we'll let him off cos he's Raphinha. Second half was totally different. Llorente seemed to move to right back and we pushed forward more. Raphinha got on the ball more and seemed like he'd had a rocket put up his arse. Costa came on and actually looked lively. We took our goals well and could have had a couple more. Soton to their credit kept coming and they have some decent players. I think 3-0 was harsh on them but so what ? We'll take it.
Mieslier - 8. Solid performance. Ayling - 7. Stuggled first half but much better second Dallas - 7. Left back is not his position and you lose what he's all about. Much better 2nd half and grea toe punted goal. I like to see that. Struijk - 7. Went about his job confidently Cooper -7. Slightly more erratic but some good defending Llorente - 6. I thouhgt he looked very rusty first half (not surprising) and you could see him getting annoyed with himself. Even in that first half though you can see he's got a lot to offer. He's quick, a good tackler and can pass a ball. Hopefully he can stay fit because he looks the part to me. Shame he didn't bag a goal as well. What was he doing in the 6 yard box ? Kilch - 4. Did he get injured or aggreviate an injury ? Raphinha - 9. Superb 2nd half. One of the best. Bamford - 7. Took his goal really well. He was frustrating me in the first half but you just can't argue against him when he's banging in the goals. Harrison - 3. Seems to have lost it a bit Roberts - 6. Great pass for Bamford's goal and he looked sharp everywhere apart from in front of goal. Subs: Costa - 7. Dare we really contemplate a life where Costa starts in front of Harrison ? Pablo - 6. Didn't have a lot to do. Allioski - 5. Totally abandoned the left back slot but did get stuck in and get forward as you'd expect. I'm hoping we can build on the 2nd half against Villa this weekend and who knows we could be knocking on Europe's door soon ? Incredible really because I don't think we're playing that well. _______________________________________________ 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/ Rest in Peace Guy, and wear your hat!
