Mighty Leeds Weblog

THREE OFF Written by: Moxcowhite • Daniel Chapman The first half action at Upton Park was all happening off camera. First, nobody could be sure who from Leeds’ team clattered Eyal Berkovic straight from kick-off, although while he was lying down injured, everybody saw Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink taking the ball off Ian Wright and shooting low past Shaka Hislop to put Leeds ahead after 23 seconds. When Berkovic returned from treatment he had a quiet word with John Moncur, whose late tackle through Lee Bowyer earned him a booking and cleared up the identity of the mystery assailant. Ian Wright got an early yellow card too, for elbowing Alfie Haaland, then another one after a fifty-fifty challenge with Ian Harte. The camera caught them coming together after the ball had gone; the next shot showed Harte lying on the floor in a daze, holding his head, then Wright being ordered off, and losing his head. The camera missed what happened between Harte and Wright, and so did Hammers boss H

Whites boss Javi Gracia has hinted at a Leeds United change for today’s Premier League showdown at Fulham and made a confident prediction about what will be seen from his Whites. Lee Sobot Recently-appointed new Whites head coach Gracia steered relegation-battling Leeds to ten points out of a possible 18 in his first six games in charge, after which the Whites sat in 13th place following the 2-1 win at home to Nottingham Forest at the start of this month. Leeds, though, have since suffered a double dose of Elland Road thrashings at the hands of Crystal Palace and Liverpool which has led to Gracia working on what he says was a much-needed United “change” in training. Gracia, though, in more backing for his players, says he is confident that whoever he selects to step out at Fulham will provide the right reaction for the fifth-bottom Whites. Pressed on whether his next team selection was one of the biggest in his career, Gracia revealed: “I thought a lot because we need to change

Phil Hay and Jonathan Mackenzie The look of Illan Meslier — hands on hips, the thousand-yard stare — was that of a goalkeeper who had been here before: this week, this month, this season, this league. The goal just scored was Liverpool’s sixth and not for the first time, Leeds United’s No 1 was counting the concessions. Six against Liverpool followed five against Crystal Palace followed four against Arsenal; three occasions in 17 days when Meslier had done little more with his hands than swipe the ball from his net. Premier League football is ruthless like that, but very few goalkeepers in it are made to suffer like a Leeds United goalkeeper. Meslier, 23, is approaching the end of his third full season as first choice in the division and, over the course of that period, Southampton’s James Ward-Prowse is the only top-flight player with more appearances than him. Those years have been a mixture of kind and unkind, hoisting him to the forefront of the game but exposing him to an un

AT A '24/7' club like Leeds United, whose supporters are among the most fanatical in the land, the ability to handle tough moments and criticism is paramount for every successful player there. Leon Wobschall In the wake of not one, but two humiliating home defeats to Liverpool and Crystal Palace, which have put their Premier League survival hopes into serious jeopardy, United's squad must now face the opprobrium. A lack of desire is one charge that has been thrown at the players' door. Head coach Javi Gracia says that accusation is untrue, but accepts the rights of any supporter to say it, given two gruesome episodes. The Spaniard, whose side are assigned with engineering a response at Fulham on Saturday lunch-time, said: “I can understand the supporters. "In some parts in the last game and the game before, in the second half against Palace, there were some moments where you could have that feeling. "But I have to defend my players because I know t

Victor Orta has already spoken about his future amid renewed criticism of his work at Leeds United. By Jamie Kemble Leeds United chief Victor Orta has already admitted his long term future is not at Elland Road as criticism continues to get louder. It has been a hugely disappointing season for the Whites, who find themselves battling relegation again this season, currently just two points above the drop. Leeds are on their second manager this season, and they now have the worst defence in the Premier League so far this season after losing 6-1 to Liverpool at home on Monday night. There have been challenges, namely losing Kalvin Phillips and Raphinha last summer, but Leeds have also spent significantly to replace those players. Brenden Aaronson, Tyler Adams, Wilfried Gnonto, Georginio Rutter, Luis Sinisterra and others were brought in, and plenty of money was spent to bring those players to Elland Road. But while some have impressed, the overall result is that Leeds have not m

Leeds United must move on quickly from their Liverpool nightmare in order to focus on three 'massive' games this month. By Graham Smyth The Whites travel to Fulham on Saturday then host fellow relegation threatened Leicester City on Tuesday night, before a trip to 14th-placed Bournemouth. That home game against the Foxes looks particularly significant in the run-in, with Leicester currently sitting 19th, four points behind Leeds. Beyond that trio of fixtures lies a quartet of daunting ones, including a visit to ominous title-chasers Manchester City, but Leeds can't think about that just yet. Even as the stadium was still emptying after Tuesday's 6-1 humiliation by Liverpool, Leeds defender Robin Koch was attempting to shift the focus on to the challenges just around the corner. "Obviously it's hard for us but we need to put this game aside now because we have three massive games coming," he said. "It's extremely hard for us now but we

Leeds United suffered perhaps their lowest point of the 2022/23 season so far with a 6-1 defeat by Liverpool that compounded the 5-1 battering by Crystal Palace eight days previous. By Graham Smyth The Whites once again suffered the indignity of walking around a less-than-full Elland Road at the final whistle, with thousands of supporters streaming out long before referee Craig Pawson brought things to a close. Here is the YEP take on how the night panned out and what you might have missed as Leeds fell to such a brutal defeat. Good day Nope. Bad day Illan Meslier – the Leeds United goalkeeper is facing too many shots from players in space or great positions but his contribution has to come under scrutiny too when efforts fly in from narrow angles or from distance. Rasmus Kristensen – finally restored to the starting XI only to suffer a torrid evening. His passing inaccuracy was an issue even while Leeds were defending solidly but the big problems for the right-back cam

Leeds United's underlying numbers were supposed to improve with the appointment of Javi Gracia, but after two humbling defeats at Elland Road, the club appear to be in just as much peril as they were two months ago Joe Donnohue There is an argument that due to the dwindling number of remaining fixtures, Leeds' predicament is in fact more perilous than when the team limped to a 1-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest's City Ground in early February. That result moved Leeds' board members to action, reluctantly parting with Jesse Marsch whom they had backed to the tune of £150 million in transfer windows. A protracted search for the American's replacement followed, before eventually settling for ex-Watford head coach Javi Gracia on 'flexible' terms, believed to be until the end of the season. Gracia's tenure got off to a positive start with wins against Southampton and Wolverhampton Wanderers, before the team fought back to defeat fellow strugglers Notting

DEEP THINKING Written by: Moxcowhite • Daniel Chapman There were two good bits. Leeds United’s goal just after half-time was one, when they threatened to tread on Liverpool’s nerves and fight into this game from 2-0 down. The other bit was after 25 minutes of the first half. Liverpool had kept the ball between 75-80% of the time until then but suddenly, after a dangerous mistake by Jackie Harrison, a game of football started. Liverpool threw players at the chance but couldn’t take it, and Leeds sensed an opportunity to counter. Liverpool won the ball back, almost made a chance, and by the time Leeds tackled them, both teams had lost their shape and United could try breaking again. This kept on for two or three minutes, two teams off their balance, slugging it out, end to end although more at the Leeds end. The score was 0-0, and this bit was fun. Leeds had barely touched the ball, but there were hopeful signs that Liverpool were losing patience, playing themselves into errors.

By Phil Hay There, in the right place at the right time, was what Leeds United could have won as Cody Gakpo side-footed in from no distance out. Gakpo was a transfer target that got away, not that it could be confidently claimed he alone would have turned their ugly season into a swan. That ship sailed months ago, but the frantic dispatch of Victor Orta to the Netherlands before the closure of last summer’s transfer window goes into the breakdown of everything that has gone wrong for the club: deals that hit the wall, transfers that haven’t worked, flimsy collective quality, flimsy individual quality, VAR, the lot. All of it was laid bare as Gakpo tapped home, converting Liverpool’s first goal in a 6-1 dismemberment at Elland Road. VAR should have intervened but didn’t, ignoring a Junior Firpo clearance that bounced off the arm of Trent Alexander-Arnold in the build-up. Leeds’ defence should have tracked Gakpo but didn’t, trailing a few yards behind as the Dutchman sank the easie

Leeds United are suddenly and painfully trending in the wrong direction after two ruthless beatings by Crystal Palace and Liverpool, as YEP chief reporter Graham Smyth casts the verdict on the latter. By Graham Smyth The depth of Premier League relegation battle is a great comfort until such a time as it thins out. When the breakaway comes – the group who separate themselves from the pack – Leeds United want to be in it, and not the four or five who live with peril right to the bitter end. The 2021/22 run-in really got its teeth into Leeds, prolonging the pain until the very final whistle of the season. Once bitten, twice shy - this season was supposed to be different and it hasn't been. There still exists an opportunity to finish in far greater comfort, there's still time to ease away from the bottom three. Crystal Palace have shown just how quickly the narrative can change and their three wins in succession have put them just three points behind Chelsea, of whom no on

Javi Gracia says fans are not seeing enough from the Leeds United and improvement is needed for seven huge relegation battles. By Graham Smyth The Whites were battered 6-1 by Liverpool, eight days after a 5-1 loss to Crystal Palace, and Gracia admitted it was a second consecutive occasion when his side did not meet the required standards. "The players always try, the players always work hard during the week trying to prepare for the next game," he said. "In the last games, this game and in the second half in the last game we didn't compete at our level and we need to improve that. We have seven important games left and we have to give our best face." Gracia, who cannot recall ever shipping five and six goals in consecutive games as a manager, was tight-lipped on the VAR decision to allow Liverpool's opener despite what appeared to be a clear handball by Trent Alexander-Arnold. Leeds had contained the Reds up to the goal, which arrived on 35 minut

BITTERLY-DISAPPOINTED Leeds United head coach Javi Gracia admitted that his side's heavy 6-1 loss at home to Liverpool was 'hard to accept' on a history-making night at Elland Road - for all the wrong reasons. Leon Wobschall Hammered 5-1 in their previous home match against Crystal Palace, when the visitors netted four times in the second period, Leeds showed that they had emphatically not learned their lessons as they let in another four goals against opponents who enjoyed a party on the resumption. It represented the first time in the club's history that the Yorkshire side have let in five or more goals in successive home games. The only other Premier League side to achieve that 'feat' in conceding five times in consecutive home games were Derby County in April 2008. A season when they were relegated. Trailing 2-0 at the break after quick-fire goals from Cody Gakpo and Mo Salah, Leeds briefly gave themselves hope early in the second half when Luis Si

IF ANYONE tried to speak with authority before this fixture got under way regarding what the scoreline might be, then they were fooling nobody. Leon Wobschall It pitted a Leeds United side who had conceded five goals last time out and imploded in shocking fashion against Crystal Palace at Elland Road against a fitful Liverpool team fresh from equalling their longest run without a win under Jurgen Klopp, who took over in October 2015. No rival Premier League team had let in more away goals so far in 2023 than Liverpool's total of 14. They had also been beaten eight times on the road in 2022-23, losing to the likes of Bournemouth, Nottingham Forest and Wolves. It looked unpredictable beforehand. By the end, there was a depressing, damning familiarity as Liverpool ended the game in party mode as Leeds made history by lamentably letting in five goals for the second successive home match. You have read that right. Continue to defend like this and the Yorkshire club are only he

Leeds United’s goal difference in their quest for Premier League survival took another battering as Monday night’s hosting of Liverpool produced a 6-1 romp for the Reds. Lee Sobot The Reds went ahead in the 35th minute as Cody Gakpo tapped home following a cross from Trent Alexander-Arnold who took the ball past Junior Firpo with his elbow but was allowed to continue. Liverpool then doubled their lead just four minutes later as Mo Salah beat Illan Meslier following a break from Diogo Jota who had robbed Weston McKennie of the ball inside his own half. The Whites pulled a goal back just two minutes into the second half through Luis Sinisterra who had pounced on Ibrahima Konate to send himself through but Liverpool hit back just five minutes later through Jota and Salah then added a fourth Reds goal four minutes after the hour. Still the onslaught continued and the visitors added a fifth goal in the 73rd minute as Jota let fly with a low shot from the edge of the box that squee