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I have a feeling Bamford will score less, so someone else will need to step up to provide the goals. Raph is available from the start this time and Rodrigo looked very useful at the end of last season. Think we'll be pretty safe but im struggling to see us get top 10 atm.

peripheral is an interesting word, he was only so due to injury and Covid, when he reached full fitness we began to see the real Rodrigo, expect him to show a lot more of that this season from the onset.

comment by Elsbels - Just Some Guy (U21658)
posted 40 minutes ago
peripheral is an interesting word, he was only so due to injury and Covid, when he reached full fitness we began to see the real Rodrigo, expect him to show a lot more of that this season from the onset.

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I agree, but end result was that he was peripheral, and my point is with him fully available now, it hopefully takes some pressure off needing Bamford to score....well thats the hope any way!

People have been writing bamford off for years, so no surprise that people will claim he will get second season syndrome.

He will be fine and continue to get us goals.

I think our defense is stacked in the centre, however I worry about the depth beyond ayling and the new leftback.

I predict a higher finish and maybe even getting into Europe, all be it in the europa conference.

Think we'll finish between 4th and 9th with 9th more likely than 4th but 6th a big possibility,
Bit of gossip Kalvin came back from England 5kg overweight, Marcelo is not happy he might have a bit of work to do to make opening day,

About a week ago, I watched a highlight package, which had all our goals, last season.

Rodrigo was involved in a lot more than I remembered.

Need a couple of good signings for me. And with abit of luck one of young ones comes through, but I get a feeling, they won’t

here's how i think the scoring will break down.
bamford = 15-20 goals predicted 15 for him last year and feel he underachived in scoring for how well he played all year.

rodrigo = 10- 15 goals he's a natural scorer, just has to play.

harrison = 8-10 goals

raphinia = 8-10 goals both of these guys can easily get to this ammount. all depends on the injuries.

wish we still had alioski but firpo should be able to chip in with 5 or 6.

the top 4 is settle as far as im concerned and then i see us battling with leicester, west ham and arsenal for the other europeon spots.
our defense wont be a joke for the first half of the season this year.

This sounds more like the Jonty of old, as though we have astonished ourselves and the so-called elite sides in the Premier league, and it’s time to revert back to type, the nearly achievers of years gone by, and do a ‘Leeds’.
Fortunately, Bielsa has thrown that script out the window. Year on year, he has improved this team. just watch the highlights of the 3-1 win against Stoke 3 seasons ago. We would hammer that lot now. He has not bought into the old narrative - he is creating his own. There are a couple of factors worth thinking about for the season ahead:
1) The injury count for new players under Bielsa is pretty high. But it tends to drop in their second season as they adapt to the regime. So, expect to see more of Rodrigo, Llorente and Koch.
2) The rate of improvement in players under Bielsa is phenomenal. Just look at Struijk and Meslier from last season. Who is going to blow us away this season?
3) The team have built up an intuitive understanding of each other’s style, resulting in some of most wonderful football we have ever seen. Just look at our goals video from last season - how many contenders for goal of the month did we see there?
4) Two factors about Bielsa. One, his ability to learn, adapt to, and master the skill set for successful coaching in this league. Two, he is relentless in the pursuit of excellence. There is only one direction he, and LUFC are going this season.
5) The Bamford question is a good one. I think he probably surprised himself by his tally for last season. How will he do with the crowds back? I think he looked better without them. Can he maintain that level of form this season? It’s hard to know, but we do have firepower in every area, and I don’t think we will be as dependent as we were last season on Bamford to get goals.
6) Our progress as a club is phenomenal. We are not just a Premier League team, we are developing structures and networks to keep us where we are, and to thrive. Significantly, the under 23’s are now in their Premier league, which will hopefully accelerate their rate of improvement and reduce the gap between them and the first team. Our work to strengthen at this level highlights our long term vision, and our determination to grow as much of our talent as we can at home.
For all of these reasons, I am very optimistic for the season ahead. Relax, Jonty, the glass is at least half-full and there’s plenty more in the bottle.

There’s a world cup looming and players like Pat,Raph and Rodrigo will want to be on that plane to Qatar after missing out on the Euros and Copa. I fully expect to see them post their best numbers.

One also wonders though, how these players will cope with a full Elland road. Empty stadia is such an equaliser and some players will have relished the “behind closed doors” feel to the games last term.

With no European football to contend with, this could be to our advantage also.

Would like to see Raphinha and Rodrigo form a strong partnership on the pitch this year. If Dallas, Harrison and Bamford can maintain their momentum from last season, Kalvin stays fit and we have a settled unit at the back, I think we could be in for a surprising season ahead. With that in mind, I’m also confident we can succeed in shipping 10 less goals than last season.

Last season I predicted 8th and 57 points. Personally, in a best case scenario, I’m hoping to see us just hit a European spot and break through the 60 point mark.

If we end up 12th, then it will be disappointing, but one feels we would only build back stronger and kick on from that point. However, the concern would be players wanting to move on from a team that finished 12th and in the bottom half.

"I'm looking forward to a cracking season!"

"This sounds more like the Jonty of old"

Can't wait for this season to start.

Year 4 of playing under Bielsa for most of the players - they will be very tight this year. I'm hoping this will result in us kicking on from 9th.

Also hoping some of the U23s will break through - Geldhart, Greenwood and Summerville in particular.

Can Bamford keep up the good work? Why not? Think his relations with the fans will have improved after his excellent return last season.

Rodrigo showed flashes of brilliance at the end of last season. I'm sure he's very hungry for more this season.

Could it be the last season at ER for Raphinha and Phillips? The big clubs are already sniffing around and their value will have increased enormously since last season - particularly in the case of Phillips.

Only one major signing in close season to speak of but nobody on here seems bothered that much - that's how far we've come! It's just astounding, how far we've come...

What we can expect is another season of beautiful football. Great time to be a Leeds fan, great time to BECOME a Leeds fan. The Marcelo Bielsa effect is rejuvenating this club and it's fanbase and we are building to become a major power in the PL and a major brand in the global football marketplace.

Thank you AR, VO, and MB; thank you Kenny Dalgleish!

comment by Jonty (U4614)
posted 16 hours, 34 minutes ago
"I'm looking forward to a cracking season!"

"This sounds more like the Jonty of old"
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Sorry, Jonty, the stress levels kicked in by the third paragraph. I must have missed that note of optimism.