Where Leeds United need to shop for next Raphinha and hope against Europe's best - Tony Dorigo

Leeds United are finally back to Premier League action this week against Manchester City and Newcastle United who are sat third and second in the table, writes TONY DORIGO.
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Not just that but Manchester City are probably the champions-elect as well. Both games are going to be very, very difficult. But I think it's very important that we approach this second part of the season with confidence and really try to push on and get results.

Strangely, when we have played against the good sides this season we have actually played very well. Clearly, it's going to be difficult and we certainly look like we need some sort of reinforcements in January. If you look back at what we have spent in the three previous January windows it's zero, zero and not very much. It's difficult to buy the right players but obviously financially you need to have quite a bit of money as well.

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I think the January window is going to be key to how we approach the second half of the season but it's vital that we get off to a flyer against these two very good sides in City and Newcastle this week. If we can get something from these games I think that will be a positive.

SLIPPED THE NET: Summer Leeds United target Cody Gakpo who is now leaving PSV Eindhoven for Liverpool. Photo by OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images.SLIPPED THE NET: Summer Leeds United target Cody Gakpo who is now leaving PSV Eindhoven for Liverpool. Photo by OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images.
SLIPPED THE NET: Summer Leeds United target Cody Gakpo who is now leaving PSV Eindhoven for Liverpool. Photo by OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images.

Erling Haaland is a shorter price to score a hat-trick than Leeds are to win against City which is quite astounding. But that guy is a goal machine. I must admit, I sometimes think about playing against him and then I think, you know what, I am quite happy just talking about him because he looks very, very difficult. But it's not only him and that's the thing.

Everyone looks at Haaland but he still needs service. But when you have got the likes of Kevin De Bruyne in your side you are going to make chances. I think they are the best team in Europe, I really do. They have a wonderful squad and now they have added Haaland to it. We know it's going to be difficult.

Is there ever a good time to play City? I'm not so sure. But when you have had this sort of break and players away in the World Cup as well, you can't tell me that's the best preparation. It's not. If there is ever a good time, maybe this is it.

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But whilst you can easily look at the opposition all the time, I always like to really concentrate on ourselves and it's important that we have a good understanding of what we are doing and that we do well, that we don't make mistakes and that we show grit and determination to get a result. If you put all that together then whatever the result is, you've then got something to go forward with, whoever you're playing.

Yes, it's going to be difficult. We know we are not going to have much possession, we know we are going to have to do everything right and we are going to need a little bit of luck here and there. Then we might get something from the game. But that's not to say that we're going to get absolutely smashed, not at all. We have got to play that 90 minutes and really get something from it.

If you are talking about the pools and what the score is going to be, we know that everyone is going to go for Manchester City. But surely they did exactly that when we played at the Etihad and we won 2-1 and surely they will have done that when Chelsea came to town. Things can happen although we know it's an uphill task.

As a player looking back, I'm not sure I played against a team that were this much overwhelming favourites. But for sure I came up against really really good sides and I looked at it as a chance to really impress and show how good you are. If you're playing against the likes of the teams at the bottom and you do well then people can say 'it's against the big ones that you want to do well against'

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But if all of a sudden you can put in a performance against the likes of Manchester City that makes everyone sit up and notice. I think that's where a lot of the young, hungry lads that we have got in our side can think, 'you know what, I am going to show what I can do today, against one of the best.'

We then go to Newcastle who I think have done a wonderful job because they have bought well but haven't gone crazy with the cash. They have given the manager Eddie Howe some time and certainly some backing. He's a very astute manager and suddenly they have got some confidence and they look a very, very good side.

St James' Park is always a wonderful ground to go to and the atmosphere is always tremendous but every time we went there in the last few seasons, the atmosphere was almost turning on the team. You could feel it at times go against the side. Now it's going to be certainly all for the home side so it will be another very, very difficult game. But, again, it's a game that the players should be looking forward to and I always enjoyed it when the atmosphere was at its most hostile, loudest and when the crowd was huge. These sort of games coming up are two wonderful games to play in.

We have seen two big transfers announced this week with Cody Gakpo going to Liverpool in addition to Matheus Cunha moving to Wolves and, with Gakpo, I think a touch of realism needs to come into it. Clearly, we are unearthing some very talented players at kind of reasonable prices, but you've got to get in there early and take a bit of a chance and that's why we got the likes of Raphinha.

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But if it comes off then the player does great for a while but then they move on because financially there are layers in the Premier League and we aren't at that level. It's as simple as that. We aspire to it but we can't go from where we have been for the last so many years to suddenly competing against the top six or seven that can offer European football. It's just not going to happen.

We need to buy wisely and we need to buy I suppose players that might be outside of the big leagues and pay a little more reasonable price and that's what we've done. A lot of them will come off but some won't. Hopefully we can nick that player that we need to really push on to the next level but it is frustrating because Gakpo was one that was clearly almost in the bag but he slipped through the net. Hopefully we can get another one.

With Cunha, I am just surprised at the money for him as that's a lot of money for someone that really hasn't done well in the Spanish league yet suddenly his price has gone up by 10-15 million. It's a strange one. Maybe we can get value elsewhere and value is exactly where we need to be shopping unfortunately. That's just the way it is. That's reality.