LEEDS AWAY PREVIEW

Who would have thought it, three games in and we are 100% win perfect. But, it is not time to get carried away. The Championship is notoriously unpredictable, and we can look forwards to some upsets for and against. Slavisa still has, by his own admission, much squad building left to do, and although at times we look excellent, there are still periods where it is obvious we are not quite gelling. A great win at Preston, is followed closely by this second trip up north in 4 days. How the fixture computer manages to give us two long away trips in such a short of time is beyond me, but it is what it is. Whatever we think of professionals having to make two long journeys, it is still taxing. The hope is that so early in the season, the travelling will have little or no effect. Leeds is always a difficult place to go, and with their hostile fans it is important to silence them early on. These are volatile times at Elland Road, and the fans could quite easily turn on the team and the board. I am certain Slav and the team know this, and will look to deny them space and attacking opportunities.

Leeds United- 
Difficult to predict what to expect from them, as Garry Monk seems to be trying to build his own side. I,personally, have doubts about Monk's managerial quality. He took over at Swansea, using the team that Martinez built, and Swansea seemed to go backwards. He was a Swansea man through and through, and I have to wonder whether he will not be a carbon copy of Tim Sherwood. Only time will tell whether he can show his managerial quality away from the Liberty Stadium. There are rumours that their main striker Chris Wood may be dropped, but these are only rumours. They are likely to try and use width with Sako and Roofe both capable of causing problems. There aren't many household names in the rest of the Leeds team, and I , for one, will be glad if Stuart Dallas does not play as is predicted. Rob Green in goal is probably past his best and has always been prone to the odd calamity. I would expect to see Leeds start on the front foot, but we can hit them on the break with the pace of Aluko and Ayite.

Fulham-
Slav is likely to name an almost unchanged team, but don't be surprised to see Tunnicliffe start instead of Scotty Parker. He will probably stick with Smith up front, and depending on how the game pans out, Jozabed may get a debut from the bench. Don't be surprised to see the gaffer go with the same tactics as in the first two league games, playing 5 in midfield to take control allowing Aluko to join in upfront when he can. 

Prediction-
Leeds will probably come at us early on, but if we can take control of the midfield we can silence the crowd and instill some doubt in the Leeds players, who may be short on confidence after two straight league defeats. Leeds need a win, and even a draw may not be enough to please their fans. That can play into the whites' hands, as long as we stay calm and stick to our game. An early goal and we may see the Leeds team fall apart. The longer they go without scoring will only make them more nervous. If we play like we did in the first half at Preston, then I don't see Leeds winning this one. 

Score- 1-1, but with an early goal, 3-0 to Fulham.

In Slavisa we trust. COYWs. 

© Nic Smith