Leeds United: Victory over Leicester, Rutter, Kamara & Plymouth preview
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00:00 Lee, Leeds were victorious at the King Power Stadium on Friday night, quite the statement
00:06 victory that was, beating top of the table Leicester, even though Leeds are a good 10
00:12 or so points, or were at that point, behind them. Looking at that win, what does it say
00:17 to the rest of the Championship in terms of Leeds being able to catch the top two, who
00:21 have created this little barrier for themselves?
00:24 Yeah, definitely, it's a big statement of intent and I think what it does tell you is
00:28 that Leeds are definitely one of the best sides. It's a big thing to say, but if not
00:32 the best side in the division now, obviously people will look at that and think, well,
00:35 how can you say that when Leicester are still clear and Ipswich are clear of them? But I'm
00:39 talking about the here and now really and where we're at at this stage of the season
00:43 in terms of Leeds had a bit of a slow start and that was no surprise whatsoever. Obviously,
00:47 Daniel Farker, when he came in, said it would be a difficult start with the huge transition
00:51 of players going out. I mean, very unsettling. They did well to sort of like almost kind
00:54 of keep it together as they did, but obviously it was a slow start to the season and now
00:58 they're sort of like just catching up and ultimately now the question mark really is
01:02 have Ipswich and Leicester got too much of a buffer on Leeds? Now, there's loads of things
01:05 you can say about that. The first thing to say is at the stage of the season where there's
01:09 only 15 games in with 31 games to go. So, I mean, that tells you what you need to know.
01:12 There's plenty of time to make up that gap. Secondly, is you've got to look at the fixtures.
01:17 The fact is that Leeds have been to Leicester and they've been to Ipswich and beat both
01:20 of them away from home. They've got to play both of them at Ellon Road and also on top
01:24 of that Leicester and Ipswich have to play each other twice. So, obviously somewhere
01:27 along the lines, those four games all offer opportunities.
01:30 Look, this isn't to say that obviously it's not the case where teams, all three of those
01:34 are just going to win every week because they won't. There will be slip-ups along the way.
01:38 But I think what is true is that I think it will be a very exacting standard this season.
01:43 Obviously there'll be question marks about Ipswich. Can they keep it going in terms of
01:46 like their squad strength and stuff? But you've got to sort of like take your heart off to
01:49 them. They've been brilliant even at the weekend fighting back at Birmingham and obviously
01:52 Leicester squad there is there for all to see really. Leeds were fantastic at the King
01:56 Power, fully deserved the victory. Obviously the fact that Leicester didn't have a shot
02:00 on target right at the end to Lilla Melia said it all. And they can obviously pinpoint
02:05 look at the fact they hit the bar and whatever. But it was an excellent performance from Leeds
02:08 who looked, as I say, looked just as good, if not better than Leicester.
02:11 So I think Leeds have got an excellent chance. What I would say there was I don't really
02:14 think that I think obviously Leicester and Ipswich will drop points along the way, but
02:18 I don't expect either of those two sides to go on like a horror run, you know, of like
02:21 not picking up many points in over a certain amount of games. So I think Leeds are probably
02:25 going to need something similar to the sort of run they're on at the moment, five wins
02:28 in six it is now. And that's what it's about this division. It's about consistency. And
02:32 I think if they can be consistent, they've definitely got the squad, they've definitely
02:35 got the players, they've definitely got the manager. And really it should be looking good.
02:39 Like I say, it is whether or not they can, there is that gap. You can't pretend that
02:42 gap isn't there and it is a sizeable gap. Obviously a lot depends on Ipswich's game
02:45 in hand as well. But yeah, I mean, I think it would be looking pretty good. Leicester
02:49 are four to seven to win the league. So there's still odds on. Ipswich are four to one. Leeds
02:53 are now about 13 to two. They were around about 14 to one. So the title odds have been
02:57 slashed really, which is not really a surprise to see. And I think you'd probably say that's
03:01 about fair enough. They've got to be seen as third favourites because of where they
03:04 are on the table. But, you know, the fixtures are there. There's plenty of games left and
03:07 more importantly, they've got the team and the squad. So hopefully it'll be looking good
03:11 for an automatic promotion place. But it's obviously an awful long way to go yet. Bottom
03:14 line is, Daniel, they've got to be consistent, as simple as that.
03:18 You mentioned the squad that they have. If we look at a couple of players in that squad,
03:23 you've got Georginio Ruta, who of course scored the winner against Leicester on Friday night.
03:28 Just how far could he go this season in terms of goals scored and contributions to the team?
03:32 Well, I think the sky's the limit for him, really. I mean, you've got to remember, he's
03:36 still essentially new to the team, having only come in in January. And obviously, you
03:39 know, I mean, back end of last season, he obviously had minutes here and there, but
03:43 you know, wasn't really affording too much of a chance. It wasn't the ideal situation
03:47 for him to be coming into, obviously, in a relegation fight. So it's almost like starting
03:50 off afresh at the start of the season. And he's been a breath of fresh air. I mean, I
03:54 don't think there's any doubt about it. He's one of the best players in the Championship.
03:56 I mean, he just stands out. And obviously, before the game, you know, Leicester, he came
04:00 into that with a load of assists, five assists, but obviously goals were the thing. And, you
04:04 know, I suppose when you're looking at him and he is more or less playing the number
04:07 nine role, then obviously the question marks are obviously right. Well, he's a fantastic
04:10 player and he's getting assists, but ultimately you need goals as well. So it was fitting
04:14 that he got the only goal of the game, which was basically a striker's finish, you know,
04:17 to sort of like, you know, poke it home after Sam Byron's header was saved. And I think
04:22 he can get a lot of goals. I mean, how many is difficult to know. Bottom line for Leeds
04:26 is they don't necessarily need one player to be scoring all the goals and to be, you
04:30 know, to be a 20, 25, 30 goal striker as long as they are shared out. And I think in this
04:35 team that probably will be the case because, I mean, you even look at it now and obviously
04:38 you talk about Routier being the striker because obviously Perrault is playing a bit deeper.
04:42 Obviously Somerville is a leading scorer, you know, so I mean there's three players
04:45 there straight away, like chipping in with goals. Obviously other midfielders and defenders
04:48 will hopefully chip in as well at set pieces and stuff like that. So, but I don't think
04:52 it's unreasonable to think that someone like Routier can, you know, obviously get into
04:55 double figures and, you know, maybe something like 15 or 20. I don't, you know, I mean,
04:59 I think the thing is of him almost like it's maybe just needs to think a bit less when
05:03 he has his chances, you know, just almost hits it a little bit. He's such a clever footballer
05:06 with so much skill and stuff that maybe like almost you can overthink it, I suppose, because
05:11 there's so much talent there. But it's great to see, obviously there were huge question
05:14 marks when he came in because of the fee that, you know, the fee that Leeds paid for him,
05:18 but the potential was there for all to see. But, you know, you can just see it now, even
05:21 in his post-match interview with Glenn Kamara on Sky, like he's absolutely buzzing, he's
05:24 loving it and stuff. And obviously when you've got a spring in your step and you're feeling
05:27 confident then, you know, the only way is up really. I mean, they've got a tremendous
05:31 player there. I mean, but, you know, you don't even know who will end up Leeds' top scorer
05:35 really. I mean, you could, as you say, like Routier could be Perrault, could even be someone
05:39 like Somerville. So hopefully goals in all areas, but certainly as far as Routier is
05:43 concerned, yeah, you know, he should be able to kick on and get plenty of goals I think
05:46 this season.
05:47 Standing alongside Glenn Kamara, of course, as you mentioned there, who was the man of
05:51 the match on Friday night against Leicester. Coming from Rangers, he's hit the ground running
05:57 a little bit, hasn't he? And, you know, it's really starting to show his work. Of course,
06:02 he was well liked up north of the border, coming into Elland Road. He's done well, he
06:07 proved his ability once again against Leicester.
06:09 Yeah, I mean, I think he's just getting better and better. I mean, I think the thing is with
06:13 Glenn Kamara coming in, you know, even allowing for the fact that he'd obviously come from
06:17 Rangers and played in some massive games at a massive club. I think it was always reasonable
06:21 to expect him to take a bit of time because, you know, he obviously like came up and not
06:24 played very much recently at Rangers and stuff. And that's very much been the case. I mean,
06:27 his first couple of games for Leeds, like you could see that we know he's a good player
06:31 because we've seen him obviously play, you know, like not just for Rangers, but internationally
06:34 as well. But there was nothing like earth shattering in his first few games, if you
06:37 like. But bit by bit, he's starting to impress more and more and more. And yeah, he was outstanding
06:42 at Leicester and stuff. And in a sort of like unobvious kind of way, in the sense of like
06:46 not being like a striker who's like scoring goals or, you know, someone who's setting
06:49 up goals or, you know, a defender at the other end. But just like so cool and calm and composed
06:54 and stuff in the middle of the field. And, you know, just basically forming a really
06:57 solid axis next to Ethan Ampadu. And I think on that performance, he has to start. I mean,
07:02 that's only his second 90 minutes in a row, still only his sixth start for Leeds. But
07:07 it's going to start throwing up all sorts of like quandaries for Daniel Farke and question
07:10 marks, but good ones, because obviously the start of the season, you had Archie Gray and
07:15 Ampadu were the centre midfielders. And that basically looks set in stone. The question
07:19 mark there obviously was Archie's age and that you don't want to thrash him with like
07:22 playing 46 games a season or whatever. And that was never going to be the case. He's
07:25 obviously now popped up at right back and, you know, seems more than able to do a job
07:29 there. But the thing is that right back, obviously we've got Jed Spence coming back and I can't
07:32 see any way that Jed Spence isn't going to get in this team either. So if you're saying
07:36 Jed Spence starts at right back, Glenn Kamara has to start in centre midfield and Ampadu
07:40 has to start in centre midfield. Then where does that leave Archie Gray? And I think the
07:43 answer to that is basically you probably just have to rotate it a little bit and stuff,
07:46 which is a good problem to have because obviously the Championship is such a long season. So
07:51 yeah, it's a good headache for Daniel Farke to have, that's for sure. I mean, you don't
07:54 just want 11 players and like nobody on the bench who shouldn't be starting. You need
07:58 competition and Leeds have certainly got that in depth. But yeah, as far as Kamara goes,
08:02 that was excellent. And I mean, you talk about like who's been Leeds' purchase of the summer,
08:07 so to speak, and there's various ways you can look at that in terms of like Sam Byron
08:10 coming on a free and Ethan Ampadu obviously, you know, people like that. But very soon
08:15 people will probably be saying that about Kamara, five million. I mean, he's only 28.
08:18 It's not like he's sort of, you know, that old yet, still plenty of time left and stuff.
08:23 And they've got a very, very good player there. And yeah, it'd be interesting to see what
08:26 he does for the midfield because Archie's been fantastic at right back, but he is a
08:30 midfielder really. So it's a difficult one for Daniel Farke, but I'm sure he'd rather
08:33 have that headache than not have it. But yeah, Kamara looking like the business.
08:38 One game left before the next international break and the final international break of
08:42 the year. Yeah, that's a picture against Plymouth or Guile. Interesting one. They had a 3-3
08:50 draw against Middlesbrough at the weekend, certainly proved their worth.
08:53 Yeah, definitely.
08:54 Middlesbrough, a good side, doing very well under Michael Carrick and they were able to
08:58 come back in that game a good couple of times. So is this a little test for Leeds just to
09:03 say, well, look, you know, you've had the big statement win against Leicester, but this
09:07 is a game where you've got to go into it and not expect to win, but you should really be
09:12 coming out with the three points.
09:13 Yeah, 100 per cent hit the nail on the head. I mean, that's the thing, isn't it? It's like
09:16 obviously fantastic going to Leicester and getting a win there and like, you know, a
09:19 massive statement. But if you can't then back it up by taking three points in the games,
09:23 you sort of should win. Then, you know, sort of like it's, you know, that's the whole thing.
09:27 That's what it's about. And it is the game Leeds should win, but equally, it's not one
09:30 I don't think it's going to be a walk in the park.
09:32 Obviously, the last game against Huddersfield at Ellen Road was basically over by half time.
09:36 And obviously, everybody will hope that's the case again this weekend. But you're quite
09:40 right. They had a very good result at the weekend against Borough, a Borough side who
09:43 started awful, but, you know, to all extents and purposes, looked like they could well
09:46 end up in the playoffs the way they're going.
09:48 So, I mean, that's no mean feat getting that 3-3 draw. I mean, a few years ago, obviously,
09:53 they looked at this game Leeds v Plymouth and you'd have thought absolute banker. Obviously,
09:56 we're Leeds in the Prem and stuff, but times change. And, you know, they're a side that
09:59 have come up from League One and they've got a good young manager in Steven Schumacher.
10:02 And, you know, I think it'd be reasonably difficult.
10:04 What I would say with this is that you look at Plymouth in the table who are 19th, but
10:08 most of their points have been picked up at home. I think they're eighth in the table
10:11 in terms of home games, but third bottom with just three points away from home.
10:15 So it shows that obviously they are better at home, as most teams are, but especially
10:18 so with Plymouth. It's obviously a massive trek for them as well coming up to Ellen Road.
10:22 I mean, I'm sure that does come into it with these long trips. We've seen Leeds often not
10:26 be too good in terms of the long away travels.
10:28 So, yeah, and it is a game that, you know, they need to back up the Leicester win and
10:32 ultimately start putting pressure on the top two.
10:35 We talk about Borough. Borough have got Leicester this weekend.
10:37 So, I mean, if there's a game where you look at Leicester potentially slipping up in,
10:41 you wouldn't be surprised if it was that. Ipswich have got Swansea.
10:45 They've obviously got the game in hand in midweek and Leeds just need to keep hammering
10:48 out these wins basically and get the job done, especially going into the international break
10:52 and sort of signing off in style.
10:54 There'll obviously be odds on Leeds. Another boost for them is Ryan Hardy scored six goals for Plymouth.
10:59 He's out with a hamstring injury.
11:01 So that's like a big blow for Plymouth. Morgan Wittek is their main man in terms of the goals,
11:05 probably play on the right-hand side.
11:06 So I guess you'd be talking probably Byron up against him.
11:08 So he's someone who definitely needs to be looked at. But yeah, Leeds would be favourites.
11:13 But it'd just be interesting to see how this goes, what Plymouth do, whether they go for like,
11:16 you know, trying to sort of like really part the bus or come out at Leeds.
11:19 I suspect they'll try and make themselves very hard to break down.
11:22 I think Leeds will win, but I think it'll be a lot harder than the Huddersfield game.
11:25 But yeah, three points is what the doctor ordered and that's what we need.
11:28 - Thank you.
11:29 [BIRD CHIRPING]