Daniel Wales and Lee Sobot discuss Leeds’ demolition of Cardiff City, he lack of activity in the transfer window, before looking ahead to encounters with Coventry City and Millwall.
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00:00Hello and welcome back to the Marching On Together Leeds United podcast. Well, quite
00:17the weekend result for Leeds United, 7-0 against Cardiff City. We won't delve too far into
00:22that of course because it is in the past a little bit now, but just to quickly brush
00:26on it, it was emphatic to say the least. It was absolutely amazing and made absolute
00:31fools of all of us lot because we were all talking beforehand saying how we expected
00:34it to be tight, how Cardiff came into the game, what was it, unbeaten in eight I think
00:39it was. And I was saying to a few people beforehand that I could even see maybe Leeds winning
00:43by a single goal or something like that, maybe being quite cagey. And we had seven goals
00:49and to be honest, it sounds like a bit of a crazy thing to say, but it was 7-0 and it
00:52probably could and should have been more to be honest. I mean, Dan James was a bit
00:56miffed about the penalty decision that Odada didn't get sent off for taking him down, which
01:01I must admit, as soon as that happened, I thought it was probably a red. And then not
01:05just that, just so many other chances as well. Jack Anick was probably one of Cardiff's best
01:10players, made lots and lots of saves. And yeah, I mean, people have been saying it for
01:13a while really, that it kind of felt like a team where you were hiding off Leeds when
01:17it all clicked, you know, like in terms of if they have one of those days where they
01:20create lots of chances. And that was certainly a hiding there, you know, like the biggest
01:24win since the revue days and yeah, absolutely fabulous stuff. A really enjoyable day for
01:28everybody. And obviously, you know, not just the feel-good factor and the great victory,
01:32but also just massively, massively boost the goal difference as well, which is now streets
01:36ahead of everybody else's. And if it does come down to it, which hopefully it won't,
01:40it's basically worth another point. And it doesn't look like much chance of anybody getting
01:44a better goal difference in Leeds now. So all looking good, hopefully, but still a long
01:49way to go, you know, and obviously they have got the squad, the same squad now to go to
01:53Walworth as we will come to with the transfer window.
01:55Well, yes, that is the next topic of discussion. As you mentioned then, no real additions
02:01in January. It's been a pretty dull window, to be honest. And I think that was probably
02:05expected from the offset. We certainly spoke that nothing was expected at least come the
02:10turn of the year. So given that, I mean, you'd imagine they'd be fine given the fact that
02:17they've just thrashed Cardiff 7-0. But do you think that was the right call to not really
02:23add to the squad?
02:24I think that Daniel Farke did a really good job of answering this. He was asked about
02:28it in his pre-match press conference, you know, ahead of the Coventry game. And his
02:31answer was about 10, 12, 30 minutes long, really, which says it all because there were
02:35so many different facets to it. But I think to try and summarise it, I think in an ideal
02:39world and like certainly, like, you know, for us looking onwards at it and from a fan's
02:44point of view, if we're in an ideal world, then yeah, they should have probably got somebody
02:47in. It would be better if they had got somebody in. But there's so many different like sort
02:50of factors to take into it, like Daniel Farke talked about in terms of like getting players
02:54in and then, you know, not wanting to guarantee the minutes and obviously needing every box
02:58to be ticked, et cetera, et cetera. And, you know, the fact that he took 12, 30 minutes
03:02to answer this question, you know, says that you can't really summarise it very quickly
03:05what he thinks in a couple of minutes. But I think the bottom line is, if everybody stays
03:11fit and they don't get absolutely hammered with injuries, then I think they'll be fine.
03:15And obviously, you could say, well, is that leaving them a bit vulnerable? And maybe that
03:19is the case. He was asked Daniel Farke, are they vulnerable, particularly up front? And
03:22his answer was no, basically, because he talks about having, you know, not just Joel Peru,
03:26but also Matteo Joseph and Patrick Bamford there as well. But if they do get a couple
03:30of injuries in one position, then you are certainly going to be thinking, well, you
03:33know, hang on a minute, are they a little bit light here and stuff? They should hopefully
03:35be all right. I mean, you're dead right. I mean, you know, just battered Cardiff 7-0.
03:39They are top of the division. So obviously, that squad has got there. And the key phrase
03:43from Daniel Farke on his press conference was, I trust my group, you know, and it was
03:47like, you know, this group has got us this position. So why shouldn't we trust them to
03:49take us all the way to the end of the season? And I can kind of like see where he's coming
03:52from with that. Obviously, there was an approach for Cameron Archer at Southampton. He would
03:56have been a good player had they got in him. So they obviously were looking and he was
04:00someone presumably that would have ticked every box. But that approach was rejected.
04:04Adam Armstrong, there was talk about that and links there, but that came to nothing.
04:07I don't think there was too much in that. I feel like Buendia, Emi Buendia, who he talks
04:11about, I feel like he was the one that really wanted and would have been a really good signing.
04:14But obviously, you know, and they don't go into Leverkusen and stuff and you can't really
04:17compete with that and stuff. So, yeah, the other thing people look at is the fact that
04:21obviously Leeds brought nobody in and everybody else in the top, you know, in terms of the
04:24promotion rivals strengthened. So have they sort of like missed out a little bit from
04:28that perspective. But then to be quite honest, the other teams are all playing catch up with
04:31Leeds, aren't they? You know, so Leeds are the ones at the top of the table. So it feels
04:34like the other teams probably have to strengthen, whereas hopefully Leeds will be fine as they
04:38are. It's a bit of a guessing game in terms of will they be all right. I'd be pretty confident
04:43to say that as long as, as I say, as long as they didn't get absolutely hammered by
04:45injuries and lots of injuries in one particular position, then they should, hopefully, touch
04:49would be fine. Obviously, you know, if you do get injuries in one position, a lot of
04:53them, then obviously, yeah, you might be scrambling around a little bit. But it is what it is
04:57now. As I say, Daniel Farr gave a very, very good answer about it. The team are top of
05:01the division and now that's it now until the summer. So that's it. You know, I trust my
05:05group. That was the key phrase and now it's down to this group to go and, you know, take
05:08Leeds over the line, which hopefully they can do. Yeah, very much so. And there was,
05:13of course, some bids for players at Leeds United as well. Obviously, I'm not sure whether
05:19Daniel Farker went into that much detail, to be honest, that you mentioned there, but
05:23obviously Matteo Joseph was, he was bid for. So yeah, I suppose it's one where you, there's
05:29no real need for Leeds to sell in that regard, given the way this other situation they find
05:33themselves in. So it probably seems self explanatory to not get rid. Yeah, it was really
05:39good the way he answered this one at his press conference. It was, let's assume the rumours
05:42are true about Matteo Joseph and let's assume what's been reported is correct. In other
05:45words, basically saying that it was, which is very nicely handled. Yeah, rumours of attempt,
05:50well, you know, it sounds like it's true, doesn't it? 10 million bid for Matteo Joseph
05:53from Real Batiste and actually Daniel Farker said there were bids for a few players, I
05:56think was his phrase. So presumably there was interest in other ones as well, which
05:59is not a surprise for a team at the top of the division and going so well. And that is
06:04the other, you know, facet to this transfer window that you've got to look at as much
06:07as people look at it and say, you know, we missed out, we should have got players in.
06:11There is also the factor of Leeds have kept hold of everybody, you know, apart from a
06:14few youngsters heading out on loan and stuff. And that in itself is just as important. And
06:17yeah, I mean, it would have been madness to have got rid of Matteo Joseph. Obviously
06:20that's quite decent money for a young player who's still relatively unproven, you know,
06:24in terms of like getting like, you know, lots of goals and lots of starts. There's no doubt
06:27like how much potential there is there. He obviously got a goal at the weekend as well
06:30against Cardiff, which will do wonders for his confidence. And, you know, even if that
06:34was a decent amount of money, like you can't be getting rid of Matteo Joseph at a time
06:37when obviously Patrick Bamford is still injured and then you talk about not having many strikers,
06:41then he leaves himself with one more, even less. So the idea was to potentially get another
06:46one in, not get rid of one. So yeah, definitely the right call, basically just a bit of a
06:49no-brainer really. I don't think there would have been any legs in that whatsoever, even
06:52if the bid was more. And you know, Matteo as a player always has been for a long time
06:56that Leeds think an awful lot of, you know, he's still only 21, Spanish Youth International
07:01and the 21 International, you know, doing lots of good stuff for them, regularly scoring
07:05for them. And I just feel with him, it's about just, you know, getting into a rhythm at Leeds
07:09and it clicking really and stuff. And hopefully that goal will do an awful lot for his confidence.
07:13He's a very, very good young player. There's no doubt about that. Every time I've watched
07:16him, even for the going back to the 21s, I think one summer he came back and he's sort
07:20of like really bulked up and his hold-up play, you know, you could tell that instantly got
07:24better. He's got a good pass on him. It's just, just finishing really and getting in,
07:27you know, a rhythm of games and a rhythm of goals and stuff. And that will hopefully come,
07:30but it won't be easy, obviously, because, you know, he'll be obviously boosted by the
07:33fact that Leeds have turned that down and, you know, they've got confidence in him. But
07:37Joel Peru is the man at the moment and he's scoring the goals and stuff. And, you know,
07:40it's sort of his shirt to lose at the moment. So he's going to have to take them chances
07:43when he comes on. But he did that the weekend against Cardiff. He's a player with a huge
07:47future. Next, of course, a midweek fixture away at Coventry City. Coventry have been
07:53an interesting side the last few seasons because the times they've been really, really good. And
07:56you think, well, they could have gone up to the Premier League if they'd beaten Luton,
08:00of course, just a year or so ago, maybe two years ago. But this season, perhaps not quite
08:08hitting those heights. And so given the fact that Leeds are off the back of a 7-0 win,
08:12you'd have to fancy them, given the confidence that will have undoubtedly given Daniel Farker's
08:17side. Yeah, I think so. The two things with this are that you've got the front
08:20Lampard factor, obviously, going back to the old sort of like Derby days and stuff,
08:23Derby County, when it all sort of stemmed from there and Spygate and everything. That
08:26will never be forgotten. And the other thing is, is that Coventry, it does seem to be the
08:31case at the moment when Leeds are playing teams, they're coming up against teams who are in a good
08:34run of form. And as Daniel Farker said himself, they are actually top of the form table at the
08:38moment over the last four, five games, four wins in a row. Obviously, it's going to take a bit of
08:43time for any new manager going in there. But it looks like Lampard's having a decent effect there.
08:46He's only lost, I think it's three games. He's played 14, eight wins, three draws, three defeats.
08:51So pretty good, just under two points a game. Got some very, very good players. They've got
08:55home advantage as well. I think people like Haji Wright are out, which will obviously be a boost
08:59for Leeds, but still players like Thomas Asante and Sims, an awful lot to contend with and stuff.
09:03It's just a very, very hard game. I think if they went to Coventry and they're out of form,
09:07it's one you could think, yeah, you'd really fancy them to go and back up that victory.
09:10But when you look at Leeds' fixtures coming now, between now and the end of the season,
09:13I think it's 16 left. That stands out as one of the ones that looks like one of the harder ones
09:18and stuff. And like I say, you don't go to any game thinking, let's go and get a draw. But I
09:21think if Leeds go there and draw, I don't think it'd be too bad a result whatsoever. But obviously,
09:25hopefully, you go there and continue the winning thread and continue the winning theme. Leeds are
09:30favourites, the favourites for just about every game at the moment, though. They are favourites
09:33for every game, obviously, about even money. So, but yeah, Coventry won four in a row. They're
09:38only three points off the playoff. So, you know, make no mistake about that, it'll be a very,
09:41very hard game. Although we said that about Cardiff at the weekend, and that was 7-0. So
09:45we should see what happens. But I don't think this one will be 7-0, that's for certain. As I say,
09:49to summarise, I think this is definitely, definitely one of Leeds' hardest games left,
09:53well, of the running sort of thing. You know, there's some big ones coming up, and this is
09:56definitely, definitely a big one. It's a very hard game, this one at Coventry. And yeah,
10:00it's the sort of game that could really go either way. But hopefully, Leeds' class will shine
10:03through. A bit of a break from Championship action after that, back to the FA Cup. Millwall
10:09are the visitors, and well, you're facing another Championship side. So given the fact that it's
10:14essentially a Championship game disguised as an FA Cup game, again, Leeds will be naturally
10:19favourites, won't they? They will be, yeah. I think the thing that stands out with this one
10:23for me is the fact that Leeds play on Tuesday, actually the game after it, they play Watford
10:26away on Tuesday night, and that's quite a quick turnaround, really. I know they play Saturday
10:29lunchtime against Millwall, but that game coming up on Tuesday is, you know, a tight turnaround,
10:34especially travelling down to Watford as well. So I think there'll be lots of changes, and
10:37whether there's quite that many for Millwall remains to be seen. So yeah, they'll be absolutely
10:41massive favourites, again, long odds on. I think they're, you know, like, wildly about four to
10:44nine, something like that, probably going to end up being even shorter than that, probably by the
10:47time the game kicks off. But I could see that being a bit harder than it looks on paper, purely
10:51because there'll be lots of changes, I'm certain of it. But therein, you know, we've looked at
10:55Leeds' bench for a long time now and said, look how strong the bench is and stuff, and the players
10:58there. Presumably there's lots of people coming in who will get chances, and that's going to be
11:02their chance to step up and shine. But yeah, the old Millwall one obviously fell to a defeat there
11:06earlier on in the season. Alex Neil's still since gone in, a bit like Lampard really at Coventry,
11:10he's gone in and done pretty well. You know, I think they've won the last three. So again,
11:15they're facing another team in decent form, and I suspect there'll be less changes at Millwall
11:18than there will be at Leeds potentially. So yeah, another one, there's a few more elements to it
11:23than on paper, but you know, people always say they want a cup run, and obviously to win this,
11:26they're going to be in, what is it, the last 16. But I mean, you know, obviously it's all about
11:30the league, isn't it? Let's face it. But equally, you want to keep the winning run going and stuff.
11:34So, you know, hopefully they can go on and, you know, get themselves into that fifth round draw.
11:38There'll certainly be favourites, and even though there'll be lots of changes, the changes should be
11:41more than enough to get them through. Yeah, indeed, yes. And we'll be back next week to look at both
11:45of those games, what happened against Coventry and against Millwall. Leeds could be still top,
11:49and they also could be through to the next round of the FA Cup. But until then, thank you all very
11:53much for watching and for listening, and we will see you next time. Cheers, bye for now.