Leeds United: Reviewing Leeds’ trip to Germany
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00:00Hello and welcome back to the Marching On Together Leeds United podcast.
00:05As always, I am joined by my Yorkshire Evening Post colleague, Lee Sobert.
00:09Lee, as we've just said off-camera, the season is drawing ever closer.
00:14It's creeping up on us, isn't it?
00:15It is. We're nearly there now.
00:17Yeah, it soon comes along.
00:18I mean, I suppose, obviously, it was always going to feel a little bit shorter this summer
00:21due to the fact that Leeds' season was extended by a few weeks,
00:24obviously, going into the play-offs final.
00:27The less said about that, the better.
00:29But, yeah, it's funny because as each week goes on,
00:32obviously, while things are positive anyway, the memory of that sort of fades away.
00:36And, you know, all he wanted really, once that sort of like, you know,
00:40sunk in, the defeat of that play-off final defeat,
00:43was to be going into the season, you know, sort of like with optimism
00:47and feeling positive about it.
00:48And as we'll come on to now, you know,
00:51there's no reason not to feel optimistic and positive, I don't think.
00:54I mean, we'll talk about pre-season in a minute.
00:56Obviously, there's still various weeks left of the transfer window.
00:59But, yeah, I think, you know, the season is almost upon us.
01:02You know, it'll be coming up to one week, really,
01:04by the time people listen and view this.
01:07So, yeah, we're almost there.
01:09And hopefully, this time, they'll finally get it right.
01:12Hopefully so, yes.
01:14Well, we'll get on to a bit more pre-season chat first.
01:18Of course, Leeds have been in Germany over the last week or so.
01:22Firstly, how has that been?
01:24Has it been a successful pre-season trip?
01:26I think so, yeah.
01:27Graham Smith, our chief football writer, was out there.
01:29Some excellent coverage.
01:30You know, lots of interviews at both games.
01:32Probably felt very lucky to be there because, obviously, no fans there.
01:35So, it was great that he was able to get over there
01:37and give us some reports and some insight into that.
01:40And, you know, I mean, basically, it has to be seen as a success.
01:44I mean, you know, obviously, pre-season isn't really about results, is it?
01:48It's about getting fitness and stuff and putting plans into place.
01:50But the bottom line is, they won both fixtures out in Germany.
01:53So, on the back of the win against Harrogate Town.
01:55So, it's a perfect three out of three ahead of the final friendly.
01:59Obviously, a 3-0 win against Harrogate Town was the start of pre-season.
02:03Hanover 96, a 4-1 victory in that one.
02:06Matteo Joseph, obviously, with a brace in that.
02:09I'll talk about him shortly.
02:11And then, actually, Schalke as well.
02:12Another 2-0 victory.
02:13So, they're two teams that are both in the second tier.
02:17So, it's like the German Championship, if you like.
02:19And, you know, how that marries up to the English one, you know, I don't know.
02:22But, basically, you know, they're looking pretty good.
02:25Obviously, they've got the victories on the board.
02:27Wins, obviously, breed confidence.
02:28Especially, you know, that will help on the back of, obviously, a disappointing end to the season with the playoffs.
02:33And, yeah, I mean, so far, I'd say it's looking good.
02:35But you only really know when the season starts.
02:37Although, I think Valencia will provide, obviously, a tougher proposition.
02:41What you would say about pre-season?
02:44Two different shapes.
02:45Obviously, lining up with three centre-backs against Harrogate Town.
02:48Although, I think that was obviously before Jadon Bogle signed.
02:51Who, obviously, you know, is going to be a brilliant right-back, I think, for them.
02:55And, since he's come in, it's no surprise they've gone back to four at the back.
02:58And, essentially, last season's formation of kind of like your 4-2-3-1 sort of idea.
03:03So, I suspect that's the way it will be.
03:05Obviously, Matteo Joseph very much taking the eye in pre-season with his goals.
03:10Jadon Bogle, as well, settled in straightaway with a couple of assists.
03:14And Brendan Aronson featuring heavily, as well.
03:17So, it looks like he's going to be a big part of Max Werber's return.
03:20So, there's lots of things you can look at.
03:22A few injuries towards the end.
03:24Karasensio, Somerville, Dan James and Patrick Bamford all missing from the final friendly.
03:29It doesn't sound like any of them are particularly serious.
03:32Somerville was heading for scans on the hamstring problem.
03:35But, hopefully, that was just precautionary.
03:37James is expected to be back fairly soon.
03:39And Bamford's, like, on a sort of like combat trail from that knee injury.
03:42And has been out for quite a while.
03:43So, you know, I think it's fair to say he won't be going into the season, you know, 100% or far from it.
03:48But, hopefully, there's another striker waiting to burst onto the scenes, as we'll come to in a minute.
03:52So, yeah, I think so far so good, really, Daniel.
03:54As I say, the proof's in the pudding once you get to the season.
03:57But, I mean, you couldn't really have asked for too much more pre-season-wise, I don't think.
04:01The only thing you could have asked for is to have some more games in front of fans.
04:04But such is the way it ended up with the trip to Germany.
04:07And, you know, the authorities making their decisions.
04:09That's just one of those things.
04:10So, not long now, though.
04:12They get Valencia friendly.
04:13And then, obviously, we'll have 46 games home and away to see Leeds Plus Cup competition.
04:17So, fans will soon get their fill.
04:19They certainly will, yes.
04:21But, as you say there, it seems as if it was a positive trip to Germany.
04:25Lots of fitness built.
04:26Lots of confidence gained, as well, with those wins.
04:29And, obviously, as you say, it's difficult to work out exactly how the Bundesliga 2 marries up to the championship in terms of the standard.
04:36And, even then, it's pre-season.
04:38So, you know, are teams at full tilt?
04:41No, they're not.
04:42One team could be at it a little bit more.
04:44One team, perhaps, a little bit less.
04:46It's hard to draw any meaningful conclusions from those games.
04:50If anything, as we've already said, it is just a fitness and training exercise.
04:54Just to build up, you know, as I say, the fitness and the technical awareness going into those first weeks of the season, which are also important.