Okay, so my suggestion that we didn’t play very well against Southampton went down like a lead balloon.
I think it’s probably best to leave that debate and just say whatever the performance it was a great and much needed result.
So tonight, on Amazon Prime, we face Leeds Utd, a team that I’ve only recently come to detest more than any other team in the Prem.
And just as I sort of forecast (well, it looked strongly possible at the time), Leeds have sacked Bielsa and appointed Jesse Marsch, an American. Who I predict will fail, but that’s another story.
Leeds had no option but to sack Bielsa as much as they probably didn’t want to. They leaked twenty goals in a month and that’s a ridiculous figure, which couldn’t possibly be allowed to continue.
It seems Marsch left Leipzig after just five months, by mutual agreement. I read that as sacked, basically.
And I believe this is the first game that he will take charge of, so no-one has a clue what we’re going to see, hence the title of this post.
You would imagine that a big priority would be tightening up the defence and indeed Stevie G has commented that he thought they did pretty well in this area against Leicester.
Which is interesting, because we know that Leeds have a very good attack. Will concentrating more on defence take the edge off their attack? We can only hope so.
And you can bet Leeds won’t leave themselves anywhere near so open. I would guess they’ll also play more of a system too, instead of tracking players man for man and out-working them. I’m guessing the game will revolve around how well the Leeds players can adapt to their new way of playing.
And of course, we have the new manager bounce that can’t be ignored.
Squad news then and it’s pretty good news for us, as everyone is available apart from Marvelous Nakamba.
As for Leeds, Patrick Bamford might make a sub’s appearance after being out for three months. How typical would it be for him to score against us?
Diego Llorente is fit after a muscle strain but Tyler Roberts is out for the season because of a ruptured hamstring. I’ve seen it said the latter is actually good for Leeds, because he has been nicknamed “the man who got Bielsa sacked”. What that’s about, I neither know nor care.
We’re away and that gives Leeds an advantage.
But we have a couple of good results behind us, whereas Leeds’ form is shocking.
You would think we have this one sewn up. But as per usual in recent times, if an opponent wants to get out of a bad run there’s no better club to face than the Villa.
“Lost 10 on the trot?, no problem. We’ve got the Villa.”
But that said, I think we have enough to win this game. Coutinho is playing very well and is creating things, which is what we have been lacking.
I don’t see many goals and certainly not the 3-3 type of game we got at Villa park.
I’m going for a 1-0 win, which would be another good result.
And even if it’s a poor performance, I’ll say the result is all that matters.
UTV!
Comments
38 responses to “Leeds – Villa; Who knows what we’re going to face here?”
Fingers crossed.
Good, balanced post Badger.
Bamford coming back is likely to be primarily a big psychological boost as one would expect him to take a few games to get match fit given that he’s played virtually no football since September – but then he could come on for 10 minutes and score the winner!
Phillips and Cooper are still out which continues to be a big miss for Leeds in defence.
We have developed an alarming tendency against teams below us to play well below our ability – we can’t just turn up and expect to get a result. A win would be nice but I would settle for a draw – what we need to do is break the win or lose type of cycle and develop an unbeaten run.
No prediction from me – I’d just jinx the result 🙂
It’s back to the old issue of the team not taking it ‘easy’ against lower-placed sides that they ‘expect’ to beat.
I’m pretty sure that Leeds will still come out of the traps at breakneck speed and with a lot of physicality (don’t think they know any other way) – and it’s down to Villa to match that, not go 1-0 down in the first 15 minutes as they have tended to do so often this season.
I really don’t know how this will go, but I’ll just stick my neck out and plonk for us to win it 1-2,
I won’t predict because I don’t know.will we be fired up as it all depends on our teams attitude. Nervous Billy me.
1 Martínez
2 Cash
16 Chambers
5 Mings
27 Digne
7 McGinn
6 Douglas Luiz
41 Ramsey
23 Coutinho
20 Ings
11 Watkins
Substitutes
4 Konsa
8 Sanson
10 Buendía
15 Traoré
18 Young
25 Olsen
31 Bailey
33 Chukwuemeka
47 Iroegbunam
Referee:
Simon Hooper
On Amazon. Boy that’s made my day!!!
I put that in because I thought some might not realise. Enjoy! 🙂
Badger
Great to read your post. Before I go any further The Claret & Blue podcast also agreed with you about how Villa played.
I remember going to see Leeds V Villa back in the 80s and fearing for my life! Hence, I really hope we shove it up’em tonight!
I really hope Coutinho transfers his Villa Park form to Elland Road.
Having beaten Brighton and Southampton with 6 goals scored and none conceded, you would think we would all be highly confident of beating a Leeds team in free fall. We know from experience that Villa are the team to play when in a bad run however.
I’m not going to make a prediction because of our generous approach to the teams below us. 😏
James caused us all sorts of problems at VP – need to keep him in check.
Mustn’t let them get off to a good start by conceding first.
I suspect it’s going to be a close game.
i forgot about James.
Agreed, he was class against us.
Is John McGinn playing?
Minns frightening me again he’s so unsure in clearing the ball.
Coutinho again!
1-0
And McGinn plays a lovely cross then to show me he is on the pitch 🙂
Why the black armband?
Gordon Lee, maybe?
Well, that was tedious.
Dare I say we aren’t playing very well? Haha.
Some nice attacking play, but it’s crap to watch.
Winning 1-0 though and thought we might get a second, which I suspect might have put it beyond Leeds.
Our good half to come?
Not too bad – some good football but still a little stop / start.
Not safe at 0-1 though. I think we’ll see Bamford on quite early second half
I thought we played reasonably well first half. There was some great link up play and we probably should have been 2-0 up.
Has Badger started the Mings is f*****g shit chants? I think the Leeds crowd are making him nervous.
Your spot on Holte. Mings worries me now he’s worried with crowd and James.
Bamford on 🙁
Matty Cash 2-0
Ha ha Leeds are shite 🙂
Chambers, lovely strike.
Haha, I’m pissing myself here.
3-0 🙂
Oh my freaking, God!!! 3-0.
Awesome! Let’s have 4!!!!
I am loving this
Woo hooo the boys are flying
Martinez was awesome, we should play him next week ,
How good is Cash at the moment?