Still TOTL. Somehow. That was close but care of Saka we found way to hang on. For sure, last year we’d have lost this game but somehow we managed to scrape through. As impressive as we were in the first half was followed by a meekness in the second half. It was this years Arsenal in the first half and last years in the second half. But, with a little luck, we still managed to win and stay TOTL. Somehow.
What a weird way to start the game. No power but only effecting the communication and VAR systems. But, boy, did we need it today. We weren’t impacted by the delays and quickly asserted ourselves as we have done this season. There was some wonderful interplay with Odegaard at the center of it orchestrating everything. Rapid one-touch football that played through their lines so sweetly. On the wings Martinelli continued to torment their backline. Partey was smooth and Xhaka was roaming freely. Tommi, who held onto his left-back spot looked a little less assured than last week.
We had the dominant possession and though clearly superior did not create too many outright chances. Until Rodrigo decided to assist with a perfect cross-field ball to Saka. Odegaard then played a typical Bergkampesque-pass to allow Saka to smash the ball into the top corner. Perfectly taken and not dissimilar to his Crystal Palace goal at the start of the season. It was thoroughly deserved and likely the platform for us to go on and score more.
The second half was an entirely different game. We could not possess the ball. Our passing was astray. The White we saw in the first half disappeared in second. He could not make a pass and got exposed down the right hand side on numerous occasions. Jesus, who was less involved than normal in the first half was unable to keep the ball in the second. Odegaard was hardly present and often gave the ball away cheaply.
The tempo was set within the first minute. With Bamford now on the pitch, we dithered down the right and before you know if Bamford had the ball in the net within a minute. But, with the power on and Paul Tierney recognizing that he still owed us from last season against that lot, rightly ruled that Gabriel was pushed off the ball. That should have been our wake-up call. Instead for the remainder of the half we found ways to make so many mistakes and hand them the momentum.
Ramsdale, who made a brilliant save in the first half during a scramble after a corner, was again crucial to keeping a clean sheet. In front of him even Saliba was making mistakes. Bamford had another chance when Saliba gave it away. And this time Ramsdale literally put his balls on the line for the team. I kept expecting Arsenal to wake up but we seemed completely over-run. This was a different, more aggressive Leeds. Whereas they sat off in the first half with a half-block, now they harried us all of the field. And we could not control the ball. It just seemed inevitable that they would equalize and then go on to win. Beyond these two chances they had so many other opportunities. Not least of which was the penalty. This one we could have few complaints about. You could see on Saliba’s face right away that he knew he was in trouble. After defending so resolutely it seemed such a shame to give it away so weakly. Initially it looked like he found the corner of the goal but somehow though Bamford managed to miss. Unbelievable.
Luck seemed to be smiling on us today. Leeds kept pilling on the pressure and we kept giving the ball back to them. Arteta then made the right decision to take off White and swap Tommi to the right and bring on Tierney. That would surely solidify the defense. But Tierney had been watching us carefully. So about the first thing he does is try to chaperon off a ball before then deciding to blast up field right to a Leeds player to allow them to launch another counter-attack. Clearly we were determined to self-destruct. We kept passing to players who were already under pressure and could never find a free man.
Partey had no time on the ball. Leeds swarmed around him. Leeds finally started to play a high press game. Replacing Odegaard with Vieira did not help. He barely touched the ball. Eddie for Jesus also made sense except he does not charge around or work as hard as Jesus. Nothing could change the momentum of the game. We just had to hang on. Even throwing Holding into the mix. But somehow we made it onto the final minutes of additional time. And then, Gabriel got entangled with Bamford and foolishly decided to kick-out. The linesman then made the call for Kavanagh to send off Gabriel and award a penalty.
Yet again Tierney (Paul not Kieran) came to the rescue. Not only did Kavanagh overturn the red card (and left Gabriel to play the next three games) but also overturned the penalty decision. Which, frankly, had made no sense anyway. There was (another) clear push by Bamford. Just like for his first disallowed goal. To be fair to Bamford, he caused chaos for the entire half and gave Gabriel a torrid time. But, how stupid was Gabriel to even lash out? In the last minute after defending so stoutly? He could have thrown it all away in a second of madness. But, with the power on, VAR was able to rescue us again. Though I’d like to know how the linesman saw the kickout but not the original push by Bamford. And did you notice how Xhaka, captain for the substituted Odegaard, took control of the situation with Kavanagh? Displaying all the traits of a real leader he pushed away everyone and took control of the players. Though it was inevitable that it would be reviewed, Xhaka made sure the right things were done.
By this stage, I was already pulling out my remaining hair and teeth. As serene as the first half was the second was painfully reminiscent of last year. We seemed intent on self-destruction. Leeds just refused to help themselves. And Gabriel needs to evaluate his performances. They are too littered with needless mistakes. Today, unfortunately, those around him seemed to try and emulate him. Except, that is, for Martinelli and Ramsey. Big balls (if slightly bruised) Ramsdale saved us today. Along with VAR. In fact, VAR has come to the rescue a number of times this season. It’s inevitable that we’ll soon suffer at the hands of VAR. And remember, when we do, we’ll always have Leeds. A nullified goal, an overturned red card and a cancelled penalty. So much for suffering from the cancel culture.
I truly have no idea how we won this game. It was thoroughly undeserved and made no sense. We were pretty awful in the second half. They dominated and we flailed. But through a combination of VAR, luck and lack of quality in finishing Leeds were not able to exploit their chances. It’s a game like this that makes you laugh out loud – but only on the final whistle. And also make you realize that there is definitely something brewing in this team. How else can you explain the three points. Last year we were a one half team. And we’d have lost this game. This year there is a resilience and determination. And luck. And a lot of luck.
It’s remarkable that we’re still TOTL. And what a contrast, performance-wise, to last week. But, for a team to be successful you have to be able to win games like this. When you’re backs are against the wall, you have to be able to eek out those undeserved victories. We’ve seen plenty of examples where we’ve lost games where we deserved to win (see the game at ManU this year). And it also speaks to the mental strength of this team. They dug in as best they could and held on. That is an achievement that was beyond us previously. So, in a weird way, todays victory was more satisfying than last week. Sure last week I was buzzing for many hours after and proud the quality of our football. Today though was more of a reality check in a hostile environment. And we passed – just – the test. Not that Gabriel did. Hopefully it will instill both more confidence in this team and also add to their collective experience. This is still a very young team. And it’s important they learn how to win games where they are getting battered. Thankfully we had the sparkling Saka goal to hold onto. It’s just a shame I had Rodrigo in my fantasy team.
I do have one recommendation for this team though; they have to hire a throw-in coach. Because we seem to take forever to figure out how to put the ball in play and yet nearly always turn the ball over. Poor White has the jitters when throwing the ball in often taken multiple minutes trying to figure out what to do. Given that he’s not played right-back for that long, someone should help him figure out what to do. I am, of course, available for a nominal fee.
And no review would be complete without the obligatory rant about the camera work. I get that Jesse March is the new boy in the league but why must we see a shot of him after every piece of action. The new thing is to first have a close up of the person last involved in a piece of action. As though it’s important to capture that moment when the players head explodes squirting out heaps of nice, juicy red blood. But is then followed by any opposition player who might have been involved. We get these juicy close-up shots that last for ten plus seconds. And, finally, we go to the obligatory shot of J. March in his lovely fitting jeans. All the time, the game is proceeding but the director or producer is more concerned with some reality-like show human reaction from the manager. And there was I thinking I was there to watch a game of football. I can’t wait for the introduction of either picture in picture or for viewers to have the ability to select a camera view of the game. Both of which have been technically feasible for 10 + years.
Today we were saved by VAR and a large dose of luck. And yet, we are now TOTL by 4 points. This team has something in it. There were periods in the first half where we looked like potential champions. Maybe the travel and trials in Norway took their toll in the second half. Maybe we’ll see more rotation in the future or less time in the NoHoppaCup games for our key players. As I keep saying, this team actually needs another year or so to mature further. But I’ll take results like today. So, thank you for turning the power back on at Elland Road. And let’s enjoy and revel in our good fortune and position. For we are, yet again. TOTL.
-LB7