Leeds United: Tough tests against Watford & Bristol City
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00:00Obviously, we're still early in the season. You're not at the stage yet where you're sort of thinking,
00:03oh, don't, you know, watch the gaps and stuff. But, I mean, you know, any stage is early enough
00:07really to look at the table and stuff. They've both got difficult games. Burnley are away at
00:12Hull on Wednesday night. Obviously, Hull couldn't do Leeds favour against Sunderland. But then
00:16Sunderland are at Luton as well. And obviously, Luton, as we've just seen, have just won 3-0.
00:19So, they seem to be improving. So, you would think there'd be a reasonable chance of one of those
00:24two slipping up, even if it's a draw. So, I think if Leeds can get a win against Watford,
00:28then they'll probably, I think, end the week or certainly approach the weekend in the automatic
00:32promotion places. That said, you wouldn't rule out Burnley and Sunderland both winning,
00:35to be honest. So, all Leeds can do is look after their own end of the bargain. The strong favourites
00:41against Watford, I think the 1-3 favourites, I think that's about... For once, that's one of
00:44those ones where I can look at it and think, yeah, they probably should be about 1-3, to be honest,
00:47with the home record, the form they're in, the players they've got, Watford's away form. I mean,
00:52everything stacks up towards a Leeds win. So, by the time this comes out and people watch it,
00:57it's probably going to have been 1-0 Watford or something, isn't it? You know what it's like.
00:59But realistically, it's no disrespect to Watford, good team, good players,
01:04very good young manager, but with their away record and the way things are going,
01:09if you wanted a fixture to back it up, that's a Sheffield United win, then you'd look at that
01:12one and think that would be a good one. So, no excuses, go and get it done. It feels like now,
01:15we'll come to the Bristol City game as well, but it feels like now's the time where Leeds need to
01:19kick on. These fixtures before the November international break, build up a run, get going
01:23and start getting in the top two and attempting to pull clear.
01:27Yeah, I think you're right there, but we'll move swiftly on to Bristol City because that,
01:31of course, will still be to come by the time this comes out. So, if you look at Bristol City,
01:36obviously they had a good win against Middlesbrough at the weekend. It's one of those teams where
01:43you think one week they might be really good and the next they're not, and you don't really know
01:47what sort of Bristol City you're going to expect. There's a lot of teams like that in this championship
01:52as well. It's the teams like Leeds, for example, who can be a bit more consistent and they're the
01:57ones who'll go up, whereas the other ones will stutter at times as well. So, it is away from
02:03home, of course, so it will be tricky, but if they come away from Watford with a win, you'd
02:08think they'd be full of confidence. I know, obviously, we're talking about it given the
02:11fact that they've just played really well against Sheffield United and Leeds, but if they are going
02:16to be challenging, these are the sort of games where you've got to be at least picking up a
02:20point in, really, isn't it? Yes, well, I think they've got to go there and win. The first thing
02:24to say with Bristol City is all thoughts go out to Liam Manning and his family, obviously,
02:27the tragic death of his son Theo. Absolutely awful, tragic news and stuff. As you say,
02:32that puts everything into perspective, so very much thoughts with him and stuff.
02:37That's awful news, but in terms of the game in Leeds, I think they've got to go there and win.
02:41I think that's the thing. A couple of things with this is Bristol City, I think you're totally
02:45right, you summary about them, really good, solid championship team. They're almost the opposite
02:50of Watford, really, in the sense that they haven't been as good away from home, but at home, they've
02:53been all right and they're actually unbeaten at home. They play midweek, so that unbeaten
02:57record will still be there because they're away at Stoke in midweek. It depends on what they get
03:02there and obviously injuries and whatnot and this, that and the other. But they haven't lost at home,
03:06so that's the first thing you can say is that'll be quite tough. The other thing that stands out
03:10to me in this picture is the timing of it, 12.30 on a Saturday lunchtime down at Bristol City.
03:15No, no, never a good thing. And to be honest, Leeds' record in lunchtime fixtures is not great,
03:20so that worries me a little bit going down there. Obviously, they'll go down before and whatnot and
03:24stop over. But I mean, Daniel Farke has been honest about it before, saying 12.30 kick-offs.
03:30No one likes them.
03:31No, no one does, but I think he's especially not keen on them. He sort of said about having to
03:37have your food at different times and it will do, it'll affect everything and stuff. But then again,
03:40I suppose it's the same for both teams, really, isn't it? But it does feel like Leeds are on 12.30.
03:45Leeds, of course, have got to travel as well, which makes...
03:47Yes, exactly. Yes, 100 per cent. And it's not like you're going down the road, is it,
03:50Bristol City? It's a trek. So that comes into it as well. But I mean, realistically,
03:56what it should come down to is the players on the pitch. And realistically, with Leeds' squad,
04:00assuming they don't get a ton more injuries before then, they should have too much for
04:04Bristol City. And that's no disrespect to the hosts who, as I say, look a solid side.
04:08What he would say about them is they're unbeaten at home, but all of those games so far,
04:12none of them have come against teams in the top 10. So, I mean, Leeds should prove a different
04:16proposition. And also, it's interesting that you get teams, obviously, that we talk about when
04:20Leeds play sides they've got awful records against. Well, Bristol City's one who they've
04:24got a very good record against. I mean, just before we were coming on, I was thinking to
04:28myself, I'm sure they've got a reasonably good record. I didn't realise it was that,
04:30but they'd actually won the last six against Bristol City, which is a pretty good sequence,
04:34really, in the Championship, considering how unpredictable it is. So let's hope it's seven
04:37in a row. It's a game where you would fancy them to go. If it was a normal game, i.e. like a 3pm
04:44without midweekers and stuff like that, I strongly, strongly fancy Leeds to be there and do good for
04:49them. But it's just the whole sort of 12.30pm going down there after a midweeker. I mean,
04:55they're playing Tuesday, not Wednesday, so that helps and stuff, plus the fact that Bristol City
04:59are unbeaten at home. So it could be quite tight. And I know what you mean, like allowing for all
05:05that. If they went down there and got a point, it wouldn't feel like a disaster, would it? But,
05:09I mean, I just look at these fixtures now before the international break and I just think this is
05:13the time where Leeds need to really amass a serious amount of points, almost perfect. I mean,
05:18probably not going to win every single game, but why not? Certainly get close to it. Because
05:22we don't know. We talked, obviously, about last season and now we've got the whole sort of
05:27situation with Sunderland and Burnley and Chef United. I don't expect it'll be quite the same
05:33standard as last season in terms of the ridiculous standards that Leicester and Ipswich and even
05:38Southampton set. But you never know. I mean, because already those teams are picking up
05:42points and not really showing too much signs of slipping. So you've got to set a high standard.
05:46You've got to pick up points and stuff. And that's why I say, realistically, I think you'd be
05:49disappointed if they didn't go there and get three points. So there'll be odds on again,
05:52but they're going to be odds on in just about every game now. That's the way it is. And they've
05:54got to go down there and get the business done. Put simply, if they want to go up automatic,
05:59they've got to go to places like that and win.
06:02No, I think you're right, Lee. Yes, I think that's just putting it bluntly. I mean, as I say,
06:06a point wouldn't be the end of the world. But for promotion candidates, you've got to be sort of
06:12going or aiming to pick up all three.
06:14Yeah. And the other thing with it is, as well, is also getting in the top two. Great. The first
06:19thing, they've got to get in there. As we speak, they're not even in there. They're obviously
06:22third. But they need to get in the automatic promotion spots and stay there and establish
06:28a gap. And don't be sort of like semi. Obviously, it doesn't really matter if they finish second on
06:33goal difference. That's great. That's all anyone would care about. Get automatic promotion. But
06:36nobody wants nerves like that. I mean, you don't want to be like second and just ahead of it on
06:40goal difference coming towards the latter stages. Try and make it as easy as possible for yourself
06:44and get in there and kick on and stuff. Because it sounds a bit idealistic saying that, but it's
06:49pretty obvious they've got the team and the squad to do that. I mean, let's not be daft about it.
06:53They absolutely blew Sheffield United away. And Sheffield United hadn't conceded in six goals.
06:57They've got the team there to be able to do it. So it's just consistency now,
07:00doing it on a consistent basis. And as I say, it feels like now's the time with these fixtures
07:04coming up before the national break. Let's get this run going now and get in those places and
07:09stay there this time. And don't take us back to the playoffs again, please.
07:14Oh, God. We're still a long way from that, I think, for now. For now, at least.
07:18That'll draw us to a conclusion for now. Of course, as we mentioned, the Watford game will
07:23have happened by the time that this comes out. So for all we know, Leeds could have gone and
07:27hammered them. Watford could have gone on 1-1-0 and we could all be crying or we could all be
07:32really quite happy. But it doesn't really matter for now. Until then, we will see you all next
07:36time, next week after Bristol City. But thank you very much for watching and for listening,
07:40and we'll see you next time.