Leeds United 1-1 Villarreal: New faces — Square Ball 5/8/25
No Perri, no party
Words by: Chris McMenamy
Going to Elland Road on Saturday felt like what I expected
most Oasis fans to encounter when they first announced their return: missing
faces. I assumed, fairly, that the brothers would fall out and/or there’d be a
show where one of them — probably Liam — didn’t turn up. Lucas Perri was Liam
Gallagher on Saturday, for me.
I’d been hoping to catch a glimpse of Leeds’ burly Brazilian
goalkeeper but injury meant we were treated to the creature comfort that is
Karl Darlow in goal. The new faces lining up at Elland Road for the first time
were Sean Longstaff, Gabi Gudmundsson, Anton Stach and Lukas Nmecha, with Jaka
Bijol on the bench and Sebastiaan Bornauw joining Perri on the injured list.
The sole novelty in the visitors’ teamsheet was seeing 2017
Leeds winger Alfonso Pedraza on the bench, whose appearance in the second half
caused a split between the old and ‘new’ Leeds fans, many of whom were confused
when Villarreal’s substitute left-back received hearty applause and the odd
faint cheer. We’ll always have that goal at Birmingham to remember him by.
Memories of years gone by were about as much as we had to
speak about in the first half, as both sides struggled to find the rhythm that
will be expected of them this coming season. Half chances were fashioned almost
by accident, one which fell to Lukas Nmecha but he couldn’t beat the Villarreal
‘keeper. Darlow made two saves himself but neither side offered enough to
entertain the 35,273 in attendance, many of whom appeared to be children making
their own debuts. After 45 minutes of tentative passing, perhaps those kids
were grateful that they’ve almost no chance of getting hold of a Premier League
ticket at Elland Road.
Most of the remarks swirling around the crowd in the first
half concerned the four new signings that started the match. Longstaff looked
every bit the functional midfielder we’re expecting him to be, offering plenty
of energy but little in the way of incision. Stach did his utmost to make up
for that, constantly searching for space to run into with the ball and
displaying a decent passing range. The lanky midfielder gave Leeds some impetus
through the middle and showed glimpses of becoming a potential fan favourite
with a couple of clattering challenges and a whipped free-kick that Joe Rodon
almost tapped home.
Nmecha was withdrawn at half-time along with Stach and
Longstaff, but he put in another respectable cameo, leading the line with a
degree of style even if he lacked any real service to cause consistent trouble
to the Villarreal defence. He moves like an intriguing blend of Pat Bamford and
Georginio Rutter, and could well prove to be a useful squad addition, if he
stays fit.
Leeds United’s relationship with left-backs has always been
tumultuous and that played out in Gudmundsson’s first Elland Road appearance.
He looked bright, linking up well with Willy Gnonto on the left side of Leeds’
attack, then he was laid out after Illan Meslier clumsily clattered into him
midway through the second half and most Leeds fans assumed he’d been broken.
Thankfully, he wasn’t and managed to carry on until Farke substituted him late
on.
The Gabi-Gnonto partnership on the left appears to be one
that could bear fruit this season, but that relies on Leeds’ Italian winger
being played on his best side, something Farke hasn’t seemed keen to do. Both
Gnonto and Gudmundsson took turns to exploit half spaces in Villarreal’s
defence, presenting passing options for the other. With a little more
creativity in the middle of the pitch, perhaps they might have had more to work
with.
Jayden Bogle and Dan James joined Leeds’ new goalkeeper in
being injured, so Farke named the unorthodox pairing of Isaac Schmidt and
Brenden Aaronson on Leeds’ right flank. Schmidt looked every bit the player who
has barely played in the last twelve months in that his positioning often let
him down and there was an element of carelessness on the ball. At one point in
the second half, he appeared at Rodon’s right shoulder while a Villarreal
winger stood twenty yards away in acres of space. Farke described Bogle’s hip
flexor injury as “a bit of a concern” and hopes to have him available for
Everton, but said he’s likely to miss the Milan match this weekend.
Villarreal’s 62nd-minute goal came when their substitute
left-back Sergi Cardona beat Schmidt and crossed for Gerard Moreno to hit the
bar, Etta Eyong scoring the rebound. Leeds replied relatively quickly with
almost exactly the same goal. Aaronson, who was more lively than most on the
right wing, got in behind the Villarreal defence and his cross bounced off a
yellow jersey and into the path of Joel Piroe to score for the third match
running this pre-season.
Bijol’s first appearance in LS11 brought mixed results.
Flashes of stern defensive brilliance were mixed with a misplaced pass deep in
his own half and a mistimed interception, but the early signs are positive.
Generally, he looked calm on the ball and assured in his defending, and his
suspension for the opening match gives him an extra week to get up to speed
before what will surely be a baptism of fire at Arsenal.
This first home friendly left us with more questions than
answers, but one positive that’s hard to ignore is the performances of some
familiar faces that Leeds fans might expect to be dropping down the pecking
order in Piroe and Ilia Gruev. The striker’s scoring form continued and he
showed some class in his link up play, while Gruev continues to look like the
steady midfielder we knew him to be. His qualities on the ball may prove more
useful than expected in the Premier League, a bit like Piroe’s finishing.
Maybe. Who knows?
Farke spoke to the press after and bemoaned Leeds’ current
attacking options. “We have lost our standout player from the second half of
last season [Manor Solomon],” he said. “It is clear we need additions in
attack.”
Much of the reporting around the attack this summer has
focused on Rodrigo Muniz and/or other centre-forwards, while Piroe has
continued to bang them in this pre-season. Solomon’s ten goals and twelve
assists are yet to be replaced and Leeds’ first-choice right winger hasn’t
played competitively since early April (and is injured again). It’s only two
weeks until the Premier League season begins with a home match against Everton
and everyone at Leeds will be hoping for — if not expecting — a home victory
before two tough matches against Arsenal and Newcastle.
As things stand, the only additions to Leeds’ attack this
season are Nmecha and Jack Harrison. Assuming we can take from pre-season that
Farke intends to play with a midfield three more often than not, Leeds’ front
three for the opening day could well be Gnonto, Nmecha and James, if fit.
Should they begin with that attacking trident, perhaps Nmecha will be used to
stretch and tire opposing defences before Piroe is introduced in the second
half. I’m quietly confident that last season’s top scorer has a bright year in
the Premier League ahead of him, at least in terms of goals scored, but also
fully appreciate that his languid, non-combative style doesn’t exactly match
the blueprint that Leeds seem determined to follow.
Leeds believed that Mateo Joseph was their starting striker
and Rutter their mercurial number ten this time last year. The latter was out
the door by the second match of the season. There’s still almost four weeks
until the transfer deadline and Beren Cross did say on Friday’s show that Leeds
are looking at another four potential incomings, so it looks like fans will
just have to be patient and have faith. The problem is that they’ve heard that
before.
Villarreal are a Champions League side and Leeds matched
them, for the most part. This weekend sees the Peacocks head to Dublin for the
much anticipated friendly against Milan, their final warm up before the big
kick off Monday week. The focus going into this match will almost certainly be
on the front end of the team, which is looking lighter and more blunt as the
summer rolls on.
If Leeds play well in Dublin and Piroe scores for the fourth
match in a row, does that solve anything? Probably not. “It’s clear, in all
offensive roles, we need reinforcements,” Farke said while talking about
Bamford and Joseph, who are surplus to requirements. All the Leeds United
recruitment team need to do is find another Raphinha. Simple, really.