Ex-Leeds United man's threefold wish for transfer window finale after Elland Road shock
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Fortunately the Leeds United players weren't thinking like me before the Chelsea game.
My pre-game feeling was that if we got a draw I would have been delighted and it would have reinforced the first two performances against teams we should be fighting against because Chelsea, you know, will be out of our league this season.
Jesse Marsch and his men had other ideas.
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Hide AdThe first 60 seconds made it look like we were in for a tough afternoon but after that it was such a positive, dominant, energy-filled performance that found Chelsea wanting. I certainly didn't see it coming.
If you listened to Thomas Tuchel, it was simply Chelsea being poor and not Leeds being good but when you look at Edouard Mendy's mistake, that was just symptomatic of how we forced them into errors.
We closed down, we pressed, we did it at the right time as soon as that trigger went, everyone flew in and didn't allow Chelsea to dictate or get on the ball and they were rushed in everything they did. You could see the frustration growing and growing - it wasn't a one-off mistake.
We took the game by the scruff of the neck, showed good quality for the second and then you wondered how we would handle it, having given up the same lead at Southampton.
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Hide AdThe nicest part of the game was the second half when we did the same things, refused to fall into a trap of sitting back and kept asking questions of them.
There's no doubt the substitutions were perfect this week. On the hour you could see Marc Roca was getting a little bit tired and the midfield needed a bit more energy to reinvigorate it.
We had change, we got a third goal, we had more changes and everything went to plan. It was one of those games that leaves you pinching yourself. It really happened, though, and it was so impressive.
Picking players out is difficult because it was such a team performance but Jack Harrison was magnificent and Tyler Adams goes about setting the tone of a game. Getting a foot in like he does is what the crowd loves and they were absolutely bouncing on Sunday. He and the crowd fed off each other, as did others in the side.
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Hide AdAnd suddenly Leeds have seven points from nine, which is hugely significant. When you've got a relatively new manager, a new system and new players and you get results, it's a validation of your pre-season positivity, your tactics and your teammates. It's such a powerful thing and you need to ride that wave for as long as possible. The start is vital and we've made a very good one.
The Barnsley game comes next and it's an interesting one. I cannot see Marsch not wanting to do very well in each game, so application has to be spot on but given how strong the bench is becoming I'm sure players will come into the line-up against Barnsley. There are youngsters itching to play and I think it's a good time to give minutes out.
At the same time, we have a stretch of Premier League games now which suddenly look more attractive and could get us off to an absolute flyer in the Premier League, so momentum is key and this game retains importance.
What has also always been important, for me, has been the addition of a striker and a left-back and the club came out and said the same a few weeks ago but it seems to have gone a little quiet on that front.
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Hide AdPascal Struijk is doing a wonderful job out there, he's nice and solid defensively and, as a centre-half, managing to excel out of position. He's not a specialist, though, and if you're looking to improve anywhere then that is one area and striker is the other.
We've got a nice number in the squad now but I think we still need that little bit more quality, a little more help. It's easy for me to spend the club's money of course, but they have been looking and I'm sure they'll keep looking.
Any deal has to be at the right price but if we added in those areas we can go into the rest of the season extremely confident. Let's see what they do, I'm certainly hopeful.
As for outgoing movement, the game is very different now to the one I played, when you wouldn't be sticking around if you were not first choice. Considering the last few games, the big difference was the influence from the bench - against us at Southampton and for us at home to Chelsea. The players coming on need to be top quality players and while Mateusz Klich is having to be patient, he clearly still has a role at Leeds. That has been obvious so far this season. He might get a bigger chance at some point and for a lot of players that's more palatable these days, however he has a World Cup on his horizon and that may give him a decision to make. From the
Leeds point of view, players like him are most certainly wanted and needed and long may he continue to contribute.