Daniel Wales and Lee Sobot discuss Leeds United’s Championship promotion clash against Burnley, the Whites’ victory over Norwich CIty, and latest January transfer news.
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00:00Hello and welcome back to the Marching On Together Leeds United podcast, been a little
00:15while since we've done one of these holidays to deal with, football to football still going
00:20on of course, but we are back and Leeds are doing very well, aren't they Lee? It's fair
00:26to say that they've cemented their place at the top of the championship, yes it's only
00:30by a point or so, but because of the way they keep winning they keep going back to the top
00:34even if Schalke come back ahead of them, and of course they had a great win in midweek
00:38against Norwich City, quite comfortable in the end I thought, and things seem quite rosy
00:44at the moment at Ellen Road, nothing's too disruptive, I know obviously in recent weeks
00:48we've had the sort of issues with the goalkeeping situation, but that was a very comprehensive
00:52and comfortable win against a team who of course are probably wanting to make a late
00:56push for the playoffs.
00:57Yeah, yeah, I mean fair play to Norwich because they came to Ellen Road and they tried to
01:00play some nice football, I mean quite often it looked like being their undoing really,
01:03like trying to play out from the back, you know some very very daring football in terms
01:07of how they play out from the back, but yeah Leeds got the job done again and you've got
01:11to say they've been almost perfect at home, I mean the home record is absolutely superb
01:14and you know it's the best record in the division, obviously I think Sheffield United can equal
01:18that if they win the two games in hand at home so to speak in terms of the best record
01:22in the division, but I mean you're basically at the moment, you go to Ellen Road and you
01:27just expect Leeds to win, it's as simple as that, I mean that's the sort of like you know
01:30standards they've set, that's the kind of like you know the esteem that the team are
01:33held in and really like how good the team and the squad is and you know anything but
01:37a victory at home is disappointing, but I mean you know that's not to say that it just
01:40automatically happens, but yeah I mean pretty comfortable again, obviously the one big talking
01:44point other than the goals was Yaltan Akim you know potentially avoiding a red card,
01:48I know obviously Daniel Varka was that sort of very defensive of him afterwards and said
01:51you know he shouldn't have been sent off, they sat on the other and he obviously did
01:53avoid that, but I think we all felt watching it that he maybe got away on a little bit
01:57there when he was on the yellow card and didn't get that second yellow and he was taken off
02:01soon afterwards, but other than that yeah I mean lots of chances again obviously you
02:05know just like the Sheffield Wednesday game, a dream start, obviously scoring early which
02:08also always helps things, Manor Solomon's goal, Dan James with the second and stuff,
02:12the stats you know 14 shots and then seven on target, not on target for Norwich, so although
02:17they played well they were basically no real end product and it's a 2-0 that probably
02:21you know could have been more in the end really, so yeah job done, obviously very, very much
02:25needed though you know in terms of a sort of staying ahead of getting back above Sheffield
02:29United, but also as we'll come on to you know keeping the gap to Burnley at three points
02:33obviously a fantastic win for them, 5-0 which you know basically adds to the double boost
02:38really because it's not just for them the points but also the goal difference which
02:42you know it leads us is still much better, but I mean that gap has now closed down, but
02:46you know the home form is, well both the home and the away form are key really, I mean we've
02:49said all the way through doing these shows that the idea for Leeds is to keep the home
02:53form as it is which is what basically they're doing, but obviously get the away form a little
02:57bit better and the away form has started to improve, obviously there's now a massive acid
03:00test coming up on that front.
03:02Well yes how appropriate that the next fixture is away to Burnley, of course the other teams
03:06have defeated Leeds at Elm Road this season, it was a 1-0 loss back in the early part of
03:12the season and to be fair Leeds, it was one of those games where they probably should
03:15have got more out of it, some of the chances that they missed in that one, but going to
03:19Turf Moor it's going to be difficult for Leeds because you know Burnley have what is it,
03:23nine goals they've conceded all season which is quite remarkable at this point of the campaign,
03:29but if anyone's going to test that it would and probably should be Leeds to be honest,
03:35I mean Sunderland nearly did of course in their fixture at Turf Moor just gone, missing
03:40two penalties in the last sort of few minutes of the game so they could have easily had
03:44a win there, but for Leeds you'd think that Leeds have improved certainly since the last
03:48two sides met and you'd think going into this one this is a really big chance for Leeds to go
03:54and create a bigger gap between the two sides and then you think well does that take Burnley
03:59out of the equation a little bit if you create that gap a little bit to the automatic promotion
04:03which well it certainly would be very welcome wouldn't it?
04:07Yeah I mean obviously that's the dream scenario, go there and get the victory and then it'd be
04:10what would it be a six point gap of 17 games to go I mean which is still a long way to go but
04:15obviously you know six points plus the better goal difference when Leeds you know in such
04:21word aren't dropping points you know dramatically I mean they're basically winning most weekends
04:25or midweek and when they're not they're getting draws so that would be a big gap.
04:29I think first and foremost thing for Leeds is go there and don't get beat you know that's
04:32the first thing I'm not going that's not to say that they're going to go there and play for a
04:35draw I mean that's not the case you know I mean like Daniel Farke has always said like Leeds
04:39they want to be a protagonist and fully expect them to go for it it's a really really hard one
04:42to call this I just wouldn't know or sometimes you get a gut feeling about you know what you
04:46know what the result might be but I mean my first instincts when this fixture was coming around was
04:51I thought it'd be a goalless draw to be honest because I mean you talk about Burnley's you know
04:55not conceding many goals and obviously the last two games at home have both been nil-nil albeit
04:59you mentioned the Sunderland drama at the end in that one as well but I mean after seeing them
05:03score five in midweek albeit against you know a not very good Plymouth side I mean you know like
05:08could you could you really see it being nil-nil I don't know it's a very very hard one to call
05:12and it's staggering like you say the fact they've only conceded nine goals I mean that is that is
05:16an absolutely amazing stat and obviously they've only conceded four I think it is at home so I
05:20mean if Leeds even go there and score they're doing well never mind anything else but there's
05:25always been a little bit of a sort of belief I think amongst a lot of people that you know even
05:28though it's tight at the top you know even opposition managers and not the ones necessarily
05:32involved in the title race have sort of said you know there's a feeling that Leeds are actually you
05:37know a fair bit better than the rest and stuff and if that's the case it remains to be seen but
05:42what what I would say is that if if that is the case and you obviously just can't judge it on
05:45one game then we'll definitely see in this game won't we you know I mean it's it honestly could
05:49be anything it really could Leeds could go there and you know prove prove much much better and you
05:54know just go and get you know a really really good handsome win it could be like I say like a real
05:58like cagey affair at a draw or something or Burnley could come flying out the traps and you know and
06:02end up condemning Leeds for another away defeat so so difficult to call and obviously you know we
06:07talk about in football like six pointers well this is a six-pointer isn't it as simple as that
06:11because obviously as we sit here now the gap is three points I think but basically if Leeds come
06:15out of it as I say with a draw and the gap is three points with 17 games to go with a better
06:20goal difference that's still a pretty decent position to be in but obviously a much better
06:23position would be to get six and yeah it'd be fascinating to see the mentality of it really
06:27obviously there's the payback time and you know the aspect that comes into a revenge mission as
06:32well sort of thing you know from that defeat in September which was a you know a game which
06:36basically they shouldn't have lost but they did obviously we know all about Burnley's threats I
06:40mean players in flying form especially the pair who got a brace in midweek so very you know
06:45mouth-watering game I mean gonna be a fantastic atmosphere and stuff and no doubt about it that's
06:50the biggest game of the season so far and very very early to say that that could be like pivotal
06:54in who goes up but I think it really could be do you know because like obviously because of the
06:58potential six-point swing one way or the other so we've got to say also it's not just about Leeds
07:03Burnley and Sheffield United let's not forget that Sunderland are very very much knocking on the door
07:07obviously see how they get on this weekend but they're playing Plymouth at home they'd definitely
07:11be expected to win that one so they can end up closing up you know by depending on how this game
07:15goes so really really hard ones to call as I say we've got in since initially was goalless draw
07:20but I've kind of gone against that now and yeah I think it's you're right though I think you
07:25introduced it saying as a big opportunity for Leeds and I think that's the way to look at it
07:28really not just one of these ones where you go there and think don't get beat go there and like
07:32you know really stand for authority on this division go and get a victory and then make that
07:36six-point gap with 17 to go that would be that would be fantastic but yeah a brilliant game and
07:40I think everyone's very much looking forward to it. Yeah I would agree with that completely it's
07:44a game where Leeds just need to show that they are the best side in this division and they have the
07:48best players they have the most squad quality so it is an opportunity for them. Speaking of
07:54squad quality of course we are still in the midst of the January transfer window. Yeah. It is
07:58relatively quiet I think on all fronts not just Leeds most clubs not really doing an awful lot
08:03of business I think just the sort of the issues in terms of financial fair play or PSR or whatever
08:09it is at the moment in football is not it's sort of killing this window a little bit so I know
08:14Leeds have had their eye on a couple here and there but it just seems all quite quiet and to
08:18be fair though that's probably expected. Yeah no 100% I mean we've sort of said all along that
08:22they're expected to be very very quiet in the window and I think you know fair play to Leeds
08:26and Daniel Farka for sort of saying it as it is really I mean he actually said in his pre-match
08:30press conference at the Burnley game he actually went through the three positions that he would
08:33have his eye on I mean you can't be much clearer than that obviously you know there's no point
08:37saying names they'll always be linked to play x y and z leads and stuff but there's nothing concrete
08:41and everything and nothing nothing close but basically I mean centre back is something that
08:44obviously they would have an eye on but I think that was more you know if Pascal Stroik was out
08:48for a long time and thankfully that's not going to be the case and then obviously Daniel Farka
08:53said himself you know strike is always a position they look at as well and stuff but again like you
08:57know a lot of that depends on when Bamford comes back and how much he can stay fit so I think the
09:01phrase he always uses is like Leeds you know won't fall asleep in the transfer market to what in the
09:05last final week of the window so you couldn't like sit here and say like nobody will be coming in
09:09because you know it's all like moving parts isn't it and if somebody comes up in one of those
09:13positions and they're obtainable and you know and they can get a good deal or whatever then you know
09:16you never know what happens but I think you know we're you know let's not pull the wool over
09:20anybody's eyes we're all expecting it to be very very quiet and stuff as I say if something happens
09:24to Pascal in terms of longer term injury then I think that that might have been different because
09:28they've been very very short on centre back cover if they've been out for months as opposed to weeks
09:31but yeah other than that we've always always just expected it to be you know a couple of outs in
09:36terms of youngsters going out and we've had that with Charlie Crewe going to Doncaster and Joe
09:40Gelhart going to Hull City and I don't think we're really expecting anything else so it can always
09:44change you never know as I say the transfer window it can you know things can move quickly
09:49but I think the general vibe is that Leeds are pretty happy with their lot and obviously
09:54you know you will look at like other teams strengthening at the top of the division and
09:57stuff and that might worry some fans and stuff but I mean I think you know you look at Leeds
10:00bench at the moment when they're going into games and the bench is phenomenal you know so I mean
10:04they should have I mean let's put it this way if they finish the finish the window with what
10:08they've got which is which is what's expected then there'll be no excuses and they should go up
10:13yeah and you mentioned there Joe Gelhart because he is one of the outgoings and that
10:17that's an interesting one because of course he has had some good moments in a Leeds shirt but
10:20off to Hull now who of course at the other end of the championship you know have had a
10:24pretty mediocre season to say the least I think he did score the other day did he not though
10:29yeah fantastic goal as well yeah so it's an interesting one what is his future at Leeds if
10:35or does he have one at all or is this sort of like the beginning of the end him going out on loan
10:40well the key there is his contract I think it's the summer of 2027 so it's not like he's about
10:43it's not like he's out of contracts in the summer or something like that so and you know
10:47obviously they've talked already about you know we'll have to see things are in the summer with
10:50him but yeah I mean I would love I would love to have a future at Leeds because I think he's a
10:55fantastic young player and stuff I mean when he bursts on the scene and stuff I mean people talk
10:59about him as a potential world beater and stuff there's no doubt he's got an awful lot of talent
11:02he just hasn't a been given really the chances at Leeds but also you've got to say when he's had
11:06those chances he hasn't completely taken them but he's definitely a player of the bright future I
11:10think whatever happens whether whether it comes back to Leeds or whether it ends up being at
11:13Hull or somewhere else I fully expect him to be a player he will take off again at some stage
11:17because the natural talent is there you've got to say at the moment with the attacking options
11:21Leeds have got it probably be looking doubtful in terms of his future at Leeds but we'll wait
11:24and see what happens in the summer and I really like the lad I spoke to him a few times and
11:27whatever happens very very best of luck to him yeah indeed yes well fair play to him of course
11:32as I say the main focus for Leeds is that Burnley game on Monday night that is where we'll wrap
11:37things up obviously you know we can't do a podcast this time Monday because of course the game won't
11:42have happened yet so we'll be back after that at some point to discuss whatever happens at
11:46Turf Moor. Leeds could be you know six points clear of Burnley they could be unfortunately
11:50on the same points as Burnley that remains to be seen but until then we will be back with a
11:54marching on to the podcast but until then thank you very much for watching and for listening.