Southampton 3-1 Leeds United: Before it starts, before it stops
Leeds gave as much to the idea of a second half fightback as they did to the idea of turning up in the first half. Go guys, give us nothing.
Leeds gave as much to the idea of a second half fightback as they did to the idea of turning up in the first half. Go guys, give us nothing.
Maybe this is the formula. Coaching is less than we think: it's just saying things quietly to footballers. It's also more: it's knowing what to say
Graft has its value, but like an old map, it shouldn’t be followed without thinking twice. Graft gave us Kevin Blackwell with Danny Pugh on the wing. It took us to Neil Warnock with Danny Pugh in midfield.
Does a 0-0 draw in Hull have to mean we’re going up and Leeds is good, or we’re not and Leeds is bad?
There’s a risk, and I’ll just whisper it, that Farke’s Leeds might be shaping up to be, at times, in a tiny voice, a bit boring. But that’s okay. Because now we go back to the opening goal, because I want to explain it as the goal that made everything else in the game worthwhile.
All the signs are that Gruev is a good footballer. And, in a way, that's what I'm thinking about. Because what more does Ilia Gruev have to be?
The interesting stuff at this press conference was about how Bielsa was going to transform Uruguay into a Bielsa team, given he has almost no time with the players, and such a particular style of play to teach them. I think his answer is also relevant to how he did it in six weeks at Leeds.
It's Orta and Radrizzani's legacy that, in the end, they don't have one — everything they tried to build last season, when after Bielsa they really tried to build their own thing, has gone, and they've gone with it. The legacy of this for 49ers Enterprises is that they're still here.
If good coaching is education we must hope that Farke is a good coach, because the players he has here have a lot to learn.
Will Byram stay fit is one question, and will Leeds United break him is the other.