2023 Cup of China - November 11, 2023
Shoma Uno → Timelapse by Uno Helmersson, performed by Mari Samuelsen, Spiegel im Spiegel (Version for Violin and Piano) by Arvo Pärt, performed by Vladimir Spidakov, choreographed by Kenji Miyamoto
I repeat: leave the manager alone and build up the squad. He’s not just rebuilding a team, he’s rebuilding a DYNASTY. That’s not done in less than 2 seasons. United has a perch-knocking manager, now build a perch-knocking squad and administration around him. 🧐
Subs not used: Klaesson, Van Den Heuvel, Byram, Cresswell, Shackleton, Kamara, Bamford.
Leeds were unlucky to lose this enjoyable FA Cup tie, and it was slightly weird to watch it and feel so relaxed when Chelsea scored their winning goal in the 90th minute, which spared us from having to play 30 minutes of extra time….
The only thing that matters this season is our push for promotion back to the Premier League, and this game was a distraction we could have done without.
I wasn't expecting too much of the Leeds team, given the changes to the starting line up that Daniel Farke had made, but we didn't let ourselves down.
Chelsea were technically a better side, which isn't suprising given how much they've spent on their squad (for example, their central midfield pairing were acquired for £200M - ours cost £7M) but we matched them for long periods of the game. Mateo Joseph took both of his goals well, and - most importantly - we didn't pick up any new injuries….
Learn English Through Football Podcast: 2024 FA Cup Third Round
This week’s football language podcast looks at some of the language associated with the FA Cup Third Round including, ‘gulf in class‘; ‘force a replay’ and ‘pull of a shock‘. And don’t forget that you can also check out our glossary of footballing phrases here and visit our site to access all our previous posts and podcasts. If you have any suggestions or questions then you can contact us at…
Caitlin Foord, Steph Catley and Kyra Cooney-Cross of Arsenal celebrate by lifting the Continental Tyres League Cup Trophy after their team's victory during the FA Women's Continental Tyres League Cup Final match between Arsenal and Chelsea at Molineux on March 31, 2024 in Wolverhampton, England. (Photo by Matt McNulty/Getty Images)
Subs not used: Klaesson, van den Heuvel, Ampadu, Cresswell.
In many ways this FA Cup fourth round replay was the least wanted game of the season and the fact that extra time was needed made it even worse….
On the other hand, it was quite entertaining to watch.
It was a very open game - both sides created chances, Leeds hit the woodwork three times and eventually prevailed after Daniel Farke made five sustitutions towards the end of normal time.
As we're up against Premier League opposition in the next round it will almost certainly be the end of our cup adventure, and hopefully we won't pick up any injuries that might impact our league campaign….