Love that line-up. The best 11 we could name barring Pedro as a #10 which would probably be a bit too attacking. The way Leeds play, could be one of those days a team affords Sarr the space in behind that he needs to thrive. Tufan will need to be sharp with the Leeds press. Despite feeling pretty optimistic, I wish Leeds won last week, the pessimist in me just thinks Leeds have to win eventually and today will of course be that.
Would we take a defeat if the performance actually shows we're making progress? Or should we reasonably expect to get something now that we've got possibly our best available XI?
We love making trouble for ourselves at the back don't we. Watford have never been able to pass a football but we seem to undercook more passes than ever.
We are toast Says he knows how they're going to play and we haven't nullified any component of their game.
We always knew this season would be painful and most weekend's we'd be beaten by better sides, even if we were to stay up. It's surely no surprise that Leeds are way better than us and beating us ?
The problem isn't that we're struggling, we all expected that, the problem is that we're not competing, yes Leeds are better than us, but should the gulf be this big? We've only really competed in 3 games so far, one against an undercooked Villa team, one against a Tottenham side who have looked abysmal since, and once against one of the worst teams in Prem history. If you're being generous, you could add Newcastle, but it's rather concerning that a team like them could cut us open at will!
The gulf between champ and prem is huge. Very good champ players are poor prem players. We don't have vast sums to invest in the squad and if we do the Pozzos get called out for gambling financially with our future. All 3 promoted clubs will finish bottom 5.
Leeds are not exactly an established Premier League club, but they've got a top manager and therefore were able to finish in the top half last season. Brentford finished 4 points below us last season, yet not only aren't getting battered every game, but are generally the better team in their games. I'm not going to castigate the team if we go down, it's a tough old league, but we should at least be vaguely competitive in these kinds of games, it's not Man City we're playing every week, and it's not as if our squad hasn't been strengthened since the summer!
It is depressing. We can search for people to blame, but Watford overall just don't look like anything better than second-worst team in this league. Little things all over the park indicate this: Second to free balls, losing the 50/50 challenges, running off the ball and subsequent passes not working, and so on. Some of it may be lack of coaching/preparation, but there is a strong element of a lot of the individual players lacking Premier-level talents.
Co-commentator: "Xisco doesn't look like he knows how to handle this. He looks overawed by the situation." Spot on. We haven't even touched the ball in the second half.
Sorry, thought is was an open secret. Anyway, the same link was posted in the Shoutbox so not that hush-hush.
At least this time we have JP and Cucho to come in (with either possibly playing wide and Dennis centrally), Fletcher too as a desperation option, Etebo was a ******* disaster
Bookies made us second favourites for the drop and that would tie in with being 2nd best team to come up. No surprises there. Most fans of course just have unrealistic expectations.
Chickens coming home to roost. This is the game that screws everything up. Xisco will be sacked and no recruitment at CB or central striker. King and Sierralta off with long-term looking injuries. Squad now threadbare in crucial positions.
No semblance of a unit. No tactics or plan. No high press so did not watch West Ham last week. No Kiko or Rose up the pitch. Lost to an appalling Spuds, barely drew with an appalling Newcastle and Leeds were made to look exceptional today and but for the fat ******* in black could have had an equalizer we did not deserve. We barely created anything. We have some decent players but they look like they have not met each other. Cannot pass to each other or do the basics. Rose and Sierralta aside they were shocking to a man. Pedro looks promising. Cannot blame the front three as they barely had any service. Losing Etebo, King and Sierralta as well in a week is a big kick to the testicles as all are class and King was coming back to match fitness and sharpness and looking hungry. Shame the Leeds fans lack the class of their manager. Wonder what Bielsa could do with our squad. Far more than Xisco. Nice lad but out of his depth.
Given the opposition and the quality of the game and the nature of the games to come, that was about as bad a premier league performance as I've seen, including the relegation season. Set up with zero thought or direction, we were on the back foot from the first 3 min. We never got off it. Injuries, individual performances were dire, a complete lack of any heart or guts from a single performer. It was absolutely the performance of a side nailed on for relegation. I can't think of a positive aside from the fact that Leeds failed to score 4 or 5 as their chances merited. Xisco must be gone tonight as he has nothing to offer in his role at this level.
