Love 'em or hate 'em, Leeds are back in the PL for the first time in 16 years. They have have had many trials and tribulations over that time, but have rounded into fine form under the tutelage of El Loco, Marcelo Bielsa. He has been a godsend to a club that had lost it's way. Now, anything seems possible.
Most here know their football, so there may not be a lot I need to explain, but a brief synopsis as follows:
Bielsa plays a pressing, possession game, not so different from Man City or Liverpool. They succeeded in the Championship last year, in spite of not having the best talent, and I think that was primarily due to coaching, fitness, and team spirit. There is some talent on the squad, but when your talisman is 35 year old, ex-Swansea playmaker Pablo Hernandez, there may be reason to be concerned as to how you will fare at the next level. Pablo remains, and will have his moments for sure, but likely will struggle with fitness and speed in the PL.
The front line is lead by Patrick Bamford, who flattered to deceive last year with 16 goals but infinite misses, yet works tirelessly in Bielsa's system, and will still contribute. This was a position of need, and they managed to strengthen it with a minor coup, signing the Brazilian Rodrigo from Valencia for £27m. I've never seen him play, but reports are encouraging, and he was definitely on the coach's wishlist. Tyler Roberts will chip in, but it will likely be a one striker system most of the time.
The wingers are Helder Costa and Jack Harrison, decent, but a bit starved for goals.
Midfield is anchored by Kal Phillips. I'm not quite sure just how good he is, but will surely find out this year. He is athletic, a good tackler, but may lack a bit going forward. There is a bit of a rotating cast otherwise, with Mateusz Klich prominent, and other players like Stuart Dallas and Alioski splitting time between fullback and MF. Beyond Hernandez at 10, they likely will need to strengthen the club in this area.
The story of their defense has been centered around Ben White, the Brighton loanee who played flawlessly for them last year. It was certainly the club's wish (and perhaps the player's) to bring him back permanently, but Brighton quite rightly had other ideas. The club moved quickly then to sign Robin Koch, a German national from Freiburg, and I'm cautiously optimistic he will prove worthy. They have stalwarts in Liam Cooper and Luke Ayling, whom I'm hopeful are ready for the step up to the PL.
They have young Illan Meslier who finished the year at GK, after Kiko Casilla was suspended for racially abusing a Charlton player, but they likely will have to bring in another veteran.
The club has been shrewd and restrained otherwise in the transfer market, bringing in young players such as striker Joe Gelhardt from Wigan, and other youngsters Cody Drameh and Charlie Allen. I think the idea is to find talented young players who can fit into Bielsa's system. At the same time, Leeds are a "big club", and I sense they are prepared to splash a bit more cash for a difference maker.
So what to expect? Avoiding relegation will be deemed success, but a mid-table finish is certainly possible.
Your thoughts?
Most here know their football, so there may not be a lot I need to explain, but a brief synopsis as follows:
Bielsa plays a pressing, possession game, not so different from Man City or Liverpool. They succeeded in the Championship last year, in spite of not having the best talent, and I think that was primarily due to coaching, fitness, and team spirit. There is some talent on the squad, but when your talisman is 35 year old, ex-Swansea playmaker Pablo Hernandez, there may be reason to be concerned as to how you will fare at the next level. Pablo remains, and will have his moments for sure, but likely will struggle with fitness and speed in the PL.
The front line is lead by Patrick Bamford, who flattered to deceive last year with 16 goals but infinite misses, yet works tirelessly in Bielsa's system, and will still contribute. This was a position of need, and they managed to strengthen it with a minor coup, signing the Brazilian Rodrigo from Valencia for £27m. I've never seen him play, but reports are encouraging, and he was definitely on the coach's wishlist. Tyler Roberts will chip in, but it will likely be a one striker system most of the time.
The wingers are Helder Costa and Jack Harrison, decent, but a bit starved for goals.
Midfield is anchored by Kal Phillips. I'm not quite sure just how good he is, but will surely find out this year. He is athletic, a good tackler, but may lack a bit going forward. There is a bit of a rotating cast otherwise, with Mateusz Klich prominent, and other players like Stuart Dallas and Alioski splitting time between fullback and MF. Beyond Hernandez at 10, they likely will need to strengthen the club in this area.
The story of their defense has been centered around Ben White, the Brighton loanee who played flawlessly for them last year. It was certainly the club's wish (and perhaps the player's) to bring him back permanently, but Brighton quite rightly had other ideas. The club moved quickly then to sign Robin Koch, a German national from Freiburg, and I'm cautiously optimistic he will prove worthy. They have stalwarts in Liam Cooper and Luke Ayling, whom I'm hopeful are ready for the step up to the PL.
They have young Illan Meslier who finished the year at GK, after Kiko Casilla was suspended for racially abusing a Charlton player, but they likely will have to bring in another veteran.
The club has been shrewd and restrained otherwise in the transfer market, bringing in young players such as striker Joe Gelhardt from Wigan, and other youngsters Cody Drameh and Charlie Allen. I think the idea is to find talented young players who can fit into Bielsa's system. At the same time, Leeds are a "big club", and I sense they are prepared to splash a bit more cash for a difference maker.
So what to expect? Avoiding relegation will be deemed success, but a mid-table finish is certainly possible.
Your thoughts?