Marching On Together

...............................................................Leeds Utd v Sheffield Utd
..................Saturday 16th March 2019 at 12.30pm
...........................Streaming links to follow
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The Blades are the visitors to Elland Road on Saturday as the Whites aim to create a 5 point gap over their local rivals.

Leeds have no new injury worries, after brushing aside Reading midweek.

Bielsa, being a creature of habit is unlikely to deviate from a winning team meaning Izzy Brown will be warming the bench again.

Blades on loan striker Gary Madine starts a three game ban after seeing red during their 2-0 win over Brentford on Tuesday night.

Billy Sharp will be looking to add to his 23 goal tally for two reasons. A brace will see the 33yo become leading goalscorer in the Championship, and secondly, to get one over on Leeds following the disappointing spell he had at Elland Road 5 years ago!

Who would make changes to the starting XI?

If you were given the choice to share a point a piece, would you take it?

I wouldn't change a winning team with the current momentum. If we are winning and are comfortable then I'd use our subs early.

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I wouldn’t take at home to anybody in this league, if both teams play to their potential, Leeds win

I'm feeling nervous because the psychological difference between winning (and opening a five-point gap) and not winning is pretty big.

Take a point? Not at home, not with the atmosphere we're expecting. We beat them once and we'll beat them again. This is the time to put this league to bed once and for all.

I would take a point if offered because it keeps everything the same, i.e. us in an automatic place, but with 1 less game to go. Win, lose or draw any match and as long as Sheff Utd do the same it moves us closer and is an opportunity lost for them. That said a loss isn't disastrous as it would only put them 1 point clear meaning if we then won a match and they drew we'd be back in front. Winning the match obviously gives us a nice cushion but can equally make things tricky as it forces Sheff Utd to go for it in every match and it could make us start to play a bit more cagily. If you look at the WBA match we played at our best because we had to go for it - a loss there would have put us in serious jeopardy of becoming the 4th placed team and looking over our shoulder towards the team in 7th.

The great thing about this season is that there is no team that we fear. Under Monk the thought of going into the play-offs didn't really fill me with confidence as we had looked second best in the big matches that season. Same as when we lost to Watford and Doncaster in the play off finals we had looked second best to those teams before the matches. That isn't me saying I wan't play-offs because I feel we can beat Sheff Utd and equally we can beat all the remaining teams we face. Sheffield Utd probably caused us a few more problems than most teams because of the way they play which is in many ways similar to Bielsa's style with players able to pop up anywhere on the pitch but as Bielsa showed when we reversed the WBA result he is able to make tweaks having been able to see first hand how a team plays rather than just seeing the video and also how our players were able to deal with things in the first match.

mothbanquet wrote:Take a point? Not at home, not with the atmosphere we're expecting. We beat them once and we'll beat them again. This is the time to put this league to bed once and for all.

Totally Mothb. A victory on Saturday gives us a huge advantage where we could afford to lose a match possibly 2 and still be above them. SU will be quite open I think because if the reason above so they'll be going for a win without doubt which plays into Leeds hands. Leeds need to be on their guard from the off as I feel SU will start fast like the other night against Brentford . Having said all this I think SU will win but that's probably a result of years and years of misery watching Leeds fail at the death but this side is different and I really do hope my prediction is wrong. C'mon LEEDS !

It's our biggest game for years in terms of what it means.
Sheff Utd have to go for it, and to be honest I don't think a Chris Wilder team can play any other way.
And that should play into our hands.
Now is the time to put clear daylight between us and them.

If we're 2-0 down I'll take a point, if we're holding on at 0-0 I'll take a point. If we go 2 up I'll want all three.

Chilli D wrote: ↑Thu Mar 14, 2019 10:56 am It's our biggest game for years in terms of what it means.
Sheff Utd have to go for it, and to be honest I don't think a Chris Wilder team can play any other way.
And that should play into our hands.
Now is the time to put clear daylight between us and them.

That's my thinking. It was close at Bramall Lane because they made it tough for us and in many ways played for a draw, only putting us under severe pressure once we'd scored. Now I think they're out to win it as much as we are and won't be satisfied with just sitting back.

All that said, the first goal as ever and more than ever for us, is crucial. Blunts score first, they can shut us out and even hit on the counter which is our great weakness.

Mind you I was thinking when we played Reading that we were a bit reluctant for the first 10-15 mins. Was this intentional to avoid conceding early and perhaps lure the Royals into a false sense of security?

I dont know about you all but I feel so nervous already thinking about this game in particular and the run in. One team out of the 3 challenging is going to be disappointed and left with the dreaded play off route - It makes me feel physically sick that it could be leeds after these horrible 16 years of torture outside the premier league.

All we can ask is the boys play to their best and if we do that, we can beat Sheff Utd but its going to be nailbiter this for sure. I have fears about set plays, even reading caught us a couple of times with free headers at the back post. The Blades wont be so forgiving chances wise, we have to be watertight at the back.

Damn, why couldnt Norwich or Sheff just slip away lol

4-0 Leeds. Total football. It's just like watching ̶B̶a̶r̶c̶e̶l̶o̶n̶a̶ Leeds!

you have to go for the 5 point cushion end of story. We have a tough run in as well.
If at the start of the season they said win this game and get promotion we would take those odds
i just think a draw would leave us short by a point or two

The last time we got promoted from then Division Two.
April 16th 1989 we had a top of the table clash with Sheffield Utd. Leeds were fantastic from start to finish and ran out 4-0 winners with goals from Strachan x 2, Chapman and Speed, we went up as Champions level on points with the blades, had it not been for the 4-0 we’d have finished 2nd on goal difference. Incidentally we went up on 85 points that season W24 D13 L9
More of the same on Saturday, I feel the team have finally seen what’s in front of them and realise it’s 9 more games to the Premier League and they can all be as proud as anybody possibly could for achieving what, at the start of the season, looked like the impossible.

“We are up against arguably the best team in the division for the past eight months,” Wilder revealed on Thursday.

Read more at: https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/ ... -1-9650786

The manager in 3rd feels we are the best team.

Cjay wrote:“We are up against arguably the best team in the division for the past eight months,” Wilder revealed on Thursday.

Read more at: https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/ ... -1-9650786

The manager in 3rd feels we are the best team.

It's all psychology. He's just trying to pump up his team . As I said, they'll be more worried than Leeds about losing this match. 5 points is a big gap with just 8 games left.

BGwhite wrote: ↑Thu Mar 14, 2019 3:45 pm It's all psychology. He's just trying to pump up his team . As I said, they'll be more worried than Leeds about losing this match. 5 points is a big gap with just 8 games left.

Yeah true, nothing to lose lads, play without fear, that sort of thing.

Think he is right though overall.

I'll take the 3 points

I'm feeling weirdly confident about this, after recent performances. The dip in form is over, and the swagger is back. I was more worried about West Brom.

I'm very confident we will win against Sheffield United.

Our players and coahes have shown amazing character to come back from a sticky patch, spygate and the disruptions from all of those injuries we've suffered.

They have shown true grit to do this and answered all doubters.

We've had some brilliant performances lately and I firmly believe we will see another on Saturday that will set us on course for the Premiership and the Championship title.

Don't believe all the hype about Norwich, they're a good team, but due a sticky patch themselves when the pressure is applied to them.

Marching On Together