{"id":12748,"date":"2026-01-31T02:46:32","date_gmt":"2026-01-31T02:46:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=12748"},"modified":"2026-02-01T05:38:23","modified_gmt":"2026-02-01T05:38:23","slug":"league-leaders-looking-to-extend-the-lead-at-leeds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=12748","title":{"rendered":"League Leaders Looking to Extend the Lead at Leeds"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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I started writing this preview with what I thought was a very clever construct: it started with the Lydian chromatic tonal organization concept in Jazz to Lydian mode to the ancient kingdom of Lydia (in modern Anatolia) to Leeds, but there was no way I could squeeze in even the wildest linguistic theory connecting the etymology of Lydia (apparently named after Ledus the king, as per Herodotus) to Leeds, which derives its name from the old Brittonic L\u0101t\u0113nses, meaning \u201cviolent\u201d, most likely in reference to the river Aire. So, rest assured, this preview will not contain the annoying preambles about non-footballing esoterica.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have never been to Leeds, or anywhere really in west Yorkshire, and so have never noticed whether their rivers are violent or not. And given that I am not remotely English, it would be unfair of me to comment\/joke on the modern relevance of the city\u2019s ancient name. But thanks to more experienced \u2018Holics in this forum, I do know about the violent history of the \u201cDirty Leeds\u201d and an old enmity with the Gunners which probably still flows in the waters of Aire and Thames.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But these are different times, Daniel Farke is as far from Don Revie as is Rhine-Westphalia from Yorkshire. He had spent a few up and down years with his previous club Norwich City before going back home, and then after being sacked by M\u00f6nchengladbach, he returned back to England in 2023 to join the then newly relegated Leeds United.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following last year\u2019s title winning run in the Championship, Leeds are back in the PL. And after a tumultuous start to the season, they are lately doing remarkably well and notwithstanding their current league position, they are one of the in-form teams. You don\u2019t believe me? These are their last few league results: 1-1(A) v Everton, 1-0 (H) v Fulham, 3-4 (A) v Newcastle, 1-1 (H) v Man United, 0-0 (A) v Liverpool, 1-1 (A) v Sunderland, 4-1 (A) v Crystal Palace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I haven\u2019t seen them play since our home match against them earlier in the summer, when we had put in a cheerfully dominating performance (I remember the players smiling a lot) to continue our flawless start with a 5-0 victory. Timber and Gy\u00f6keres both scored a brace, Saka one, and the talented highschooler Max Dowman got his league debut. A 5-0 this weekend would do nicely, pleasantly surprised though I think we all Arsenal fans would be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leeds were away from the PL limelights for a considerable time, before the mad (arguably) genius (and ever quotable) Marcelo Bielsa had brought his feverish press-and-pass-and-move-and-press football to England and got Leeds promoted. English is not quite his language, so quoting some of his wisdoms\/absurdities \u2013 for they tend to be indistinguishable \u2013 translated from his native tongue:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA person is a madman until his ideas triumph.\u201d
\u201cI know that support is only given by triumph. Almost all coaches are losers, and that\u2019s why we are so lonely.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And, to sum his footballing philosophy up, \u201cThe only way I understand football is constant pressure, playing in the opponent\u2019s half, and ball possession. I am obsessed with attacking. I watch videos to attack, not to defend. Do you know what my defensive job is? We all run.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The laid back and not entirely unlikeable (especially given that unlikeable is the middle name of all opposition managers, at least to me) Farke may not be quite so dogmatically offensive-minded, but his teams tend to try to play more creative football than any attritional approach even against oppositions superior on paper. A deep and low block of defenders covering every passing route and marking every runner off the ball is not something Arsenal would likely face. Without implying any criticism of the team or the manager, but simply as an observation I think it is fair to say we don\u2019t quite flourish against such attritional tactics. Even then, earlier in the first half of the season, we had typically managed to find some kind of tactical-technical solution to the most obdurate of opposition defenses. The solutions haven\u2019t always been aesthetically the most elegant, but they have been mightily effective. Until very recently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our last few PL results: 2-3 (H) v Man United, 0-0 (A) v Nottingham Forest, 0-0 (H) v Liverpool, 3-2 (A) v Bournemouth, 4-1 (H) v Aston Villa, 2-1 (H) v Brighton.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That dip in PL form just around the start of the year \u2013 in the three cup competitions we played in that time we have maintained our winning run, though at times exhibiting a similar dip in performances or consistency \u2013 has manifested in both ends of the pitch: failing to create enough goalscoring opportunities, and giving away goals through defensive sloppiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drop in creativity is not entirely unexpected, it is the unlikely loss of defensive solidity that has equally hurt our point tallies. Fatigue \u2013 physical and psychological, especially after a strenuous winter schedule \u2013 is a likely cause for both. At least much more likelier in my opinion than any intrinsic glitches in our tactical approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But let us not overemphasize on the recent results and the dip in form, which is but inevitable. We have a (fingers crossed) mostly healthy squad, both deep and diverse, and with players of different profiles complementing each other, and all driven by uncompromising work ethic and desire for personal & collective excellence. A lot has already been written about the manager Mike Arteta and his team of superlative coaches, their attention to details, their unwavering commitment to prepare the teams for all tactical and technical tools, and bringing the team\u2019s level back up-to where they were before the holidays, and then improving further from there would now be the focus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leeds had started the season with a structured 4-3-3 or 4-3-2-1 formation that was meant to rely on structured build-up through the middle. However, following the troubled start to the season, Farke has shifted to a more robust and yet attack-minded 3-5-2 or 3-4-2-1 formation which has offered greater positional stability and a more pronounced directness in attack. The positional stability also enabled Leeds to employ more aggressive pressing, likely an inheritance from the Bielsa days, and aggressive pressing done right is often the surest way to earn defensive stability. However, for their last away game they played in 3-5-2 formation, with the impressive Ethan Ampadu controlling the proceedings at the heart of the midfield. Calvert Lewin and Aaronson played the two strikers. Ao Tanaka came on later in the match as a substitute, we might see him start next to Ampadu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This would be a test for Arsenal, and anything less than our best would very likely see us lose points away, especially given the recent form Leeds are enjoying. On the other hand, if we can regain our defensive solidity, confidence on the ball, the sharpness from the dead-ball situations, we should be able to assert our overall technical and physical superiority and dominate the game effectively enough for a difficult, but ultimately well-earned win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The starting eleven is not as easily predictable as it was earlier in the season, thanks to a healthier state of affairs in the squad (fingers crossed, once again). Raya, Saliba, Gabriel, Timber, Zubimendi, Rice and Saka are the likeliest to return to the starting eleven. From the rest, \u00d8degaard too is likely to start. However, I wonder if Mikel will be tempted to start with either Kai or Merino on the right sided number eight role as a more physical presence in the midfield and in the opposition box arriving just behind the front three. Neither of them may be as press-resistant as the captain, but they are both capable of scoring goals and providing through balls. Martin is yet to hit his peak form this season, and it may not be a bad idea to allow him a breathing space to regain it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I would like to see N\u00f8rgaard on the bench, who I think brings in stability, composure and PL know-how and can be used more and not have Zubimendi play every minute of every league match. We have missed Calafiori in the left back role, especially his contributions in the opposing half. He did look a bit rusty in the midweek CL match, and if he isn\u2019t fully fit yet I would start with MLS. Hincapi\u00e9 is definitely a better defender, and not a slouch on the ball either, but he is yet to fully come to terms with the roaming left back role which is a key piece of our tactical flexibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My preferred starting line-up:
Raya
Timber \u2013 Saliba \u2013 Gabriel \u2013 Calafiori
\u00d8degaard \u2013 Zubimendi – Rice
Saka \u2013 Jesus \u2013 Trossard<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Later in the second half, we may see the Kai-Gy\u00f6keres combination used again to replace Martin and Jesus. Yes, it was merely Kairat Almaty, but the way they were used in the midweek and how they played close to each other looked to be a very intentional approach, and something the manager feels offers us another variation in attack. Let us start strong, quieten the crowd, control the tempo and possession, be composed on the ball, win the 50-50s and we should create enough chances to score a couple of goals towards a 2-0 away win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Come on Arsenal!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I started writing this preview with what I thought was a very clever construct: it started with the Lydian chromatic tonal organization concept in Jazz to Lydian mode to the ancient kingdom of Lydia (in modern Anatolia) to Leeds, but there was no way I could squeeze in even the wildest linguistic theory connecting the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[5],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12748"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12748"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12748\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12750,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12748\/revisions\/12750"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12748"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12748"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12748"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}