IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED
Leeds United manager Brian McDermott has said that his players need to improve substantially in order to the first-team regular when the season eventually begins in two weeks time. Leeds United have been experiencing mediocre form in the pre-season. As a result, the club recently suffered a defeat against Walsall in a friendly match. Leeds will be opening the new Championship season with the match against Brighton. Even though the club will be without Gus Poyet as their manager, Brighton are still expected to carry on the form from last season.
McDermott has revealed that he is yet to decide on his first 11 because none of the players have impressed him in the pre-season matches. According to him, the first team places are still up for grabs and the players still have sufficient time to impress him. Leeds United appointed Brian McDermott as a replacement for Neil Warnock. McDermott has been given the task of getting the club back into the Premier league. One of the main problems in the pre-season so far has been a lack of workrate and energy according to McDermott, but he reckons that this will improve as the season progresses.
He wants the players to show that they want to be in the first team.
“It’s up for grabs (for the Brighton game), and we need to nail that down and take it for the first game of the season. There will be different players playing on Tuesday. I think what we have got now is that every player has played a certain amount of game time, but obviously come the Nurnberg game things will change again. I know these guys can pass it and are good players, but without the ball we have to be much better,” said the former Reading manager who was back in the job shortly after his sacking from Reading.
