Leeds (H) - Wed 23rd Feb 2022 (7:45pm)

[Trumo]

This fixture was originally scheduled for Boxing Day but an Omicron outbreak amongst the Leeds playing and coaching staff (plus a few injuries) meant that the game had to be postponed. I don’t doubt that Leeds had cases, and they were certainly hampered by injuries at the time, but they also took advantage of the lack of clarity and consistency with the Premier League’s rules over the impact of the coronavirus and its new variant. The Premier League had stated that each club’s request for postponement would be judged on its individual merits but some clubs almost certainly took the piss. Postponing games due to Covid and injuries in order to buy time and buy reinforcements in the January window so that by the time the rearranged fixtures come round, you’ve had time to regroup and strengthen? You would not put it past the clubs, such is the amoral money-grabbing ethos the Premier League has allowed to fester. Anyway:

 

Crispness. Accuracy. Rhythm. Effort. Luck. Effervescence. Speed. Skill. Heart. Audacity. Nous. Drive. Spark.

 

I don’t ask for much.

 

Last season’s corresponding fixture took place on the opening day of the season with Liverpool as defending league champions. A game of attacking intensity and defensive slackness from both sides saw Leeds eventually succumb to a late penalty from Mo that enabled him to complete his hat-trick. Leeds had given a good account of themselves and the game was a microcosm of their season as a whole. They could be electric or slapdash. There wasn’t much middle ground.

 

New Years Day 1991 saw this fixture take place at noon. Howard Wilkinson’s Leeds had been promoted back to the top flight the previous summer, and a good group of players would comfortably finish in the top half of the table in 1990/91. They’d go and claim the title itself the following year, the last one before the advent of the Premier League. For now though, they were visiting the defending league champions, who themselves were going toe to toe with Arsenal. Leeds were no match for the Reds, with an early goal from Barnesy with a shot from a narrow angle being added to before half time by the Israeli Milan Baros, Ronny Rosenthal, somewhat fortuitously after his shot from the edge of the area cannoned off the far post and bounced into the net of the diving John Lukic. Rushie added the icing on the cake late in the second half with a third goal (thanks to a serious turn of pace from Rosenthal), and Liverpool (with Kenny as manager) were doing well. The goals are just after the 46-minute mark in this video.

 

 

The big box office smash on New Year’s Day 1991 is one of the best Christmas movies of all time. Home Alone made Macaulay Culkin a star and showed Joe Pesci could do roles that weren’t a tough guy character in a Scorsese picture. Pesci and Daniel Stern are an absolute revelation as the hapless ‘Wed Bandits’ burglary duo, thwarted by a kid protecting his own home by turning it into a torture device that probably inspired Jigsaw. Increasingly elaborate and painful traps are set for Harry and Marv as they try to get the better of the pesky kid. Marv’s scream when the tarantula is on his face is cinematic gold! Culkin’s Kevin McAllister still gets time to shine as the kid enjoying junk food, aping noir crime capers to prank pizza delivery guys, having a run in with after shave, and overcoming his fear of his basement and his next door neighbour. Just being a kid enjoying total freedom, basically.

 

There plenty of Christmas message to be shared, about the importance of family etc. The McAllister family generally treat Kevin like the runt of the litter, and don’t realise in their haste that they forgotten about him completely when dashing to the airport for the family holiday to Paris. To be fair to Kevin’s mother, played by Catherine O’Hara, she does a great job of playing the mother desperate to get home and make sure her son is safe and well. We even get a cameo from the late great John Candy.

 

The sequel was pretty good and upped the ante when it came to elaborate traps for the newly named ‘Sticky Bandits’, but it relied a little too much on the preposterous notion of a kid easily able to turn both a room in a 5-star New York hotel, plus some random brownstone in the middle of an extensive renovation, into places where he could both enjoy the high life and mess around with Harry and Marv.

 

 

This game has the potential to be a banana skin as it’s just a few days before the League Cup final. Klopp and his staff, plus the players, have generally been very good at keeping focussed on the job at hand, and that is what they need to do here. It’s not about closing the gap to City at the top, and it’s not about protection yourself ahead of the Wembley showpiece. It’s about the right attitude and application to claim 3 more points. That’s all any league game should be about. Do the right things, have belief and claim 3 points. Full focus is the key to that.

[Creator Supreme]

0-6, we're fucking shite! Wait till you see what Chelsea do to us next Sunday!!

[AngryOfTuebrook]

After today's results, this has the serious feel of "must win" about it. If we're on our game, we should beat these, because... well, because we're better than them. Do that and it will set arseholes a-twitching in the Emptihad. 

 

Just get these beat, Reds.

[Guest Alex_K]

To be fair to Leeds, they really battled through their covid patch where other clubs were blatantly playing the game. Our game was the straw that broke the camels back.

 

First 11 and put 3 or 4 past them. 

[Bjornebye]

I can't stand these bastards. Fans are utter cunts. Early goal to shut them up then put our foot on their fucking throat while Biesla sits on his potty. 

[Jhinge Machha]

please please please win. momentum is everything and a win here would put serious pressure on that city side (just a shame, their next game is against fucking everton)

[YorkshireRed]

I despise Leeds. Get these beat. No fucking about. 

[suzy]

We need to win and ideally put 4 or 5 past them! That will really get the jitters going at City.

[Pete]

Twat ‘em.

then on to the final:

[El Rojo]

I assume Trent and Robbo will come back in. Konate, Elliott and Origi could freshen things up a bit if we’re keeping an eye on Sunday. 

[TheDrowningMan]

Full strength in this and the Carabao final (Alisson aside in the latter) and 8 or 9 changes for the cup game against Norwich since there’s a far more important game that weekend.

[Harry's Lad]

This game should be a statement of intent.

We've got everything to play for in what could be a historic, record breaking season.

Best 11, go at them from the off, get the 3 points then it's game on for the title.

We've got the momentum, no fucking about, get it done lads.

[Scott_M]

Huge chance for us on Wednesday.
 

Make it count Reds.

[LFC 6 Times]

Ali, Trent, Konate, VVD, Robbo, Fab, Hendo, Thiago, Mo, Mane, Diaz.

 

4-1

[Ronnie Whelan]

The league could come down to goal difference and this is a game we  could boost it big time so first eleven and worry about Chelsea afterwards.

[Em City]

Watching that today, we really should be putting 4 or 5 past these. Anything less would be require pure negligence.

[magicrat]

I'd snatch your hand off for a 1-0 and no injuries

[dockers_strike]

Hopefully, leeds went eyeballs out today, like they did against Villa then, had nothing in the tank when they played the shite 3 days later.

[Joey8FrogsLegs]

10 minutes ago, dockers_strike said:

Hopefully, leeds went eyeballs out today, like they did against Villa then, had nothing in the tank when they played the shite 3 days later.

I think they did. That and the fact that we rested a few key players should give us an advantage on Wednesday. If they play like they normally do we should get plenty of space to attack them.

[aRdja]

It’s a difficult one, we have a cup final this weekend, and I’d like for us to be able to field our best XI available and for them to be fresh and ready to go. However this is a game we can’t afford to drop if we want to still be in the title challenge. Therefore I’ll go with a mixed of first XI and squad players again.

 

Alisson; Trent, Konate, Matip, Tsimikas; Fabinho, Keita, Jones; Mane, Luiz, Origi.

[dockers_strike]

1 minute ago, aRdja said:

It’s a difficult one, we have a cup final this weekend, and I’d like for us to be able to field our best XI available and for them to be fresh and ready to go. However this is a game we can’t afford to drop if we want to still be in the title challenge. Therefore I’ll go with a mixed of first XI and squad players again.

 

Alisson; Trent, Konate, Matip, Tsimikas; Fabinho, Keita, Jones; Mane, Luiz, Origi.

No way and this is why I simply cant be arsed prioritising the domestic cups. The league simply has to be the priority, no if's and but's. I dont want to compromise the chance to wind city into just 3 points ahead after we've hunted them down. It's the strongest 11 for Wednesday and well see who's still standing from the squad for the league cup on Sunday.

[VERBAL DIARRHEA]

We play our strongest available side in both games.

[an tha]

16 minutes ago, VERBAL DIARRHEA said:

We play our strongest available side in both games.

Is right.

 

We are a team who are at our best when players have rhythm....best available team Weds and best available team bar the keeper as Klopp has said the lad Kelleher plays on Sunday.

 

The selection yesterday pretty much hints at this happening too - rested a few ahead of them coming back for the two games coming - this one and the final.

 

Some might turn their noses up at the cups - but fuck that shite, this football club exists to win trophies and we can win one on Sunday....doing so and going balls out to try and catch the cheats in the league can 100% both happen, just like it used to happen in the 80's before all this 'cups aren't important' bollocks started.

[YorkshireRed]

The league is within our grasp. It’ll be a challenge but to fuck it now, just when the momentum is with us, by playing a weakened team would be a big mistake.

 

Strongest team possible on Wednesday. Win it, win it well, then think about Sunday. 

[Preston Red]

These cunts have been shite for ages so I'll expect them to turn up and bust a gut against us.