Leeds United Jury: Optimism on the up despite being slapped in the face by Lady Luck

Our YEP Jury have their say on the draw with Derby County and look ahead to Leeds United's home clash with Brentford.
Samuel Saiz.Samuel Saiz.
Samuel Saiz.

MATTHEW EVANS

The consensus among fans seems to be that Leeds United were lucky to draw on Wednesday night at Pride Park despite leading Derby twice and succumbing only to self-inflicted equalisers in stoppage time of each half.

I saw it somewhat differently, however, and thought we looked more determined, more organised and played with much more heart than has been the case in other fixtures this season.

Pablo Hernandez.Pablo Hernandez.
Pablo Hernandez.
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The quality of Derby’s side caused us problems and some of our players had a torrid night, but we stuck at it and, in truth, could easily have snatched all three points.

We now need to cut out our defensive lapses and turn these draws into wins, starting with the visit to Elland Road of Brentford tomorrow.

Samuel Saiz is unlikely to start on the bench for a second game in a row as we look like a different team with him carrying the ball and taking the game to the opposition.

Head coach Paul Heckingbottom’s first win is surely imminent.

Kemar Roofe.Kemar Roofe.
Kemar Roofe.

Prediction: Leeds United 1 Brentford 0.

KEITH INGHAM

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Again, Lady Luck slapped Leeds in the face, leading 2-1 at Derby a needless corner was given away and from it County grabbed the equaliser.

One of those games when you’d have accepted a draw pre-game but it felt so frustrating and disappointing at the end. Leeds face a team in good form; Brentford have only one defeat in their last four games and on Tuesday they walloped relegation-threatened Birmingham 5-0 just a few days after going to Sunderland and adding to Chris Coleman’s woes by beating them 2-0. They sit 10th and have enough decent players to worry the Leeds faithful.

Pablo Hernandez.Pablo Hernandez.
Pablo Hernandez.

Paul Heckingbottom has changed personnel and formation in all three games since taking over as head coach. The return of Samuel Saiz as a second-half substitute for Kemar Roofe gave Leeds more impetus up front and brought an instant improvement from another substitute, Gjanni Alioski, who scored the second goal in the 2-2 draw at Derby. Pablo Hernandez and Kemar Roofe may be missing against Brentford after picking up injuries in midweek.

Whoever puts on a white and gold shirt they need to put on a display that the long-suffering supporters can be proud of, the fans again did their bit in the last 20 minutes against Bristol City now it’s the turn of the players to reward their support with a win that is desperately needed.

Come on boys do it for the fans!

Prediction: Leeds United 2 Brentford 1.

Kemar Roofe.Kemar Roofe.
Kemar Roofe.

MIKE GILL

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After a great performance, particularly in the second half against Derby County, it’s hard not to feel sorry for Paul Heckingbottom and his team.

When Samuel Saiz was introduced, they looked a different side to the one that has stumbled through the fog since the debacle at Newport. Tomorrow the Whites welcome Brentford who are one place and four points above United.

Having despatched Birmingham City 5-0 last time out, The Bees should be buzzing with confidence but so should Leeds. Under Heckingbottom, they have made steady progress and must be looking for a win tomorrow.

They certainly deserve a bit of luck after recent games. The head coach has decisions to make when he selects his team to face Brentford.

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Laurens De Bock had a nightmare, Felix Wiedwald did not command his area again and Ronaldo Vieira failed to capitalise on his first start under Heckingbottom.

However Saiz, Liam Cooper and Gaetano Berardi are back and I’m predicting a win.

Prediction: Leeds United 3 Brentford 2.

DAVID WATKINS

Remaining undefeated against Bristol City and Derby looked highly unlikely two weeks ago, so coming close to winning them does provide some optimism for the rest of the season as does the return of our talisman, Samuel Saiz; boy, have we missed his influence.

None of that is to say all is well though; there are glaring shortcomings all over the pitch and it is clear that we are still half a dozen quality players short of a squad that can realistically mount a promotion challenge next season. We are giving goals away far too cheaply.

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The visit to Elland Road of another promotion contender, the Bees of Brentford, will provide a stiff test of our character and ability, and I’d expect to see more changes in personnel as Hecky ponders his best starting XI.

If we can cut out the sloppy errors that continue to blight our season then I believe we can finally get the new coach his first three points.

Brentford are in decent form with just three defeats in 12 and have won their last two, scoring seven without reply.

But they did go down 3-0 recently at Derby, so this is a winnable game for Leeds.

Prediction: Leeds United 2 Brentford 0.