Q & A fra Smyth i YEP ikveld.
Jeg syns der er noen interessante:
Do you sense anyone in camp being unhappy...Costa? Rodrigo?I sense frustration. In recent games there have been audible verbal blasts between certain players, but that’s nothing unusual and there’s not really anything wrong with it. If anything Leeds have been guilty of being too quiet and not showing enough leadership in that sense on previous occasions. Raphinha wears his heart in his sleeve and evidently feels frustrated when his runs aren’t spotted by team-mates, Luke Ayling has been dishing out the rollickings in games and Liam Cooper too. I think that’s healthy, as long as the relationships between the players are such that a rollicking can be given and taken.
As for Helder Costa, he can’t be entirely satisfied. He made a big move to Leeds, for big money, with a lot of hype. He did okay last season but he hasn’t exactly sparkled and now Raphinha has taken his spot. How he responds to that will likely determine how his time at Leeds goes from here on in.
Rodrigo is an interesting one. He certainly doesn’t seem like the sulking type, he’s very down to earth and humble by all accounts. He won’t be happy with the lack of impact in a number of games and he’ll have an eye on the Euros too. Whether that position suits him down to the ground is still in question, but I think it’s reasonable to expect a bit more from him as the season goes on.
Mid term report Graham? What do you think we have learnt and what area do we need to improve going into second half of the season?I’d say it’s a B- for the first half of the season. Leeds are performing admirably, points wise, have caused problems for teams you might have expected to batter them, and suffered against stubborn, counter-attacking sides. But to say that had they played to their ability in every game and taken every good chance that went begging, they’d be comfortably eyeing the top half of the table. It’s gone as well as anyone could have hoped for. Improvements have to come in chance creation. You can call for a more stubborn defence but the back line has had to change so much due to injury and they will always take risks in this style, so I’d prioritise scoring goals. Goals keep you up and Leeds will score enough of them.
Om Covid:
Who has tested positive at the club since the pandemic?We know there have been a number of cases at Leeds, for players and staff members. It’s no different to the situation at every club. But since the very beginning Leeds have had a policy of not commenting on the matter. Obviously when a player like Rodrigo tests positive and has to miss international duty, something needs to be said. If you look at his case and more recently Illan Meslier’s absence, the protocol seems to be that the player himself puts something out on social media.
Marcelo Bielsa has made it clear he cannot and will not discuss Covid-19 cases in his squad, due to what he referred to as a rule. I took that to mean a club-set policy.
If a key player gets it, I suspect we’ll always be told in some way, shape or form. If a player who isn’t expected to be in the matchday squad or the starting line-up contracts the virus, is there any real benefit to anyone in making it known, as long as everyone at Leeds is doing everything they can to obey the guidelines? Probably not.
..ikke Covid på Joffy
Joe Geldhart injured?Not as far as we’re aware and we did ask the question this week. His 23s absence this week wasn’t Covid-19 related either. We have been hearing good things about him since he arrived, and seeing good things. There are no suggestions of any obvious issues, so hopefully he’s back in the side very soon. He and Sam Greenwood look like players who could justify the excitement around them.
I would be reassured by Marcelo Bielsa’s latest utterance when it comes to Gelhardt: “With respect to the young players, Jenkins and Casey and Greenwood, they are in an under 23 team that has been growing and been shining, they are players who can be submitted to some bigger challenges than the under 23s games, and there was a lot of expectations that these players could have minutes as well as Cresswell and Gelhardt because they have been playing well to deserve minutes.”
Alt samma her:
https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/sport/football/leeds-united/answers-leeds-uniteds-big-questions-january-transfers-sean-mcgurk-joe-gelhardt-loan-moves-jay-roy-grot-and-adam-forshaw-3106941