Sam Allardyce: Our focus is to win the game

Sam Allardyce: Our focus is to win the game

Head coach previews the final day.

Leeds United face Tottenham Hotspur in their final match of the 2022/23 Premier League season on Sunday (16:30).

The Whites will kick-off against Spurs at Elland Road, knowing they need to win the match in the battle to remain in the Premier League.

Ahead of the match, Sam Allardyce gave his thoughts on the game to the media.  

He said: “Controlled aggression, calmness and composure, particularly in possession is a necessity. 

“The more possession we have and the better quality we can deliver, the more we can get at the Spurs defence.

“We can’t do that without ignoring their strengths, so the balance of the two means we’ll try to score first again.

"We’ve done that in the last two games, then failed after that. When you score first, generally, 80% of time you wouldn’t lose the game, but after that there’s a lot of time to do right job. 

"This is the only time they’ve got left to do the right job. The ball will be in play 52 minutes, maybe 55, so it’s about 55 minutes concentration not 90, as it’s out of play for the rest.

“I want to see their best and their best will get the fans behind them, and the fans behind them will help them score, to get a result.”

Leeds know they also need scores to go their way in the other matches. The head coach was asked what his plans will be regarding the results elsewhere.

“The fans will tell us what the score is, it won’t need me, you can tell by the mood of the crowd,” he explained. 

“That happens everywhere. Of course for my escape, which has only happened last game of the season, once, in my second season at Bolton. 

“Not only were we winning but we also knew West Ham weren’t winning because the fans told us. 

“The only focus for our players is to win the game, we can’t do more than that.”

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