Mighty Leeds Weblog

Leeds United created another host of chances in Sunday's Premier League clash at home to arch rivals Manchester United yet ultimately fell to another defeat as the Red Devils left with a 2-0 victory. Lee Sobot The lively Crysencio Summerville had several good opportunities for the hosts but the Red Devils went ahead with ten minutes left when Marcus Rashford headed home a Luke Shaw cross. The visitors then added a second just five minutes later as Wout Weghorst played in Alejandro Garnacho who fired past Illan Meslier in off the post. Roared on by an incredible crowd, Leeds began brightly and the Whites squandered a fine chance to ahead in the fourth minute when Summerville fired over from close range after the Red Devils failed to properly clear a Max Wober cross from the left. Crunching tackles from Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie either side of the chance raised the noise levels even further and Summerville continually found plenty of space down the right flank. The fi...

CELEBRATING MOMENTS Written by: Rob Conlon After Alejandro Garnacho created the winning goal in the Manchester derby last month, Scum boss Erik Ten Hag said of the teenager, “He has a skill that I don’t see many players having.” Ten Hag continued to praise, listing everything Garnacho has recently learned — how to play in a team, how to live, how to do the right things through the week, how to have the right attitude at training, how to be a team player with individual skills. Ten Hag was so effusive you could be forgiven for thinking he was talking about Wilf Gnonto. Leeds’ visit to Old Trafford pitted the young pup Garnacho against old dog Luke Ayling. If Ayling is an old dog, he’s not meant to learn any new tricks, but he still has a few things to teach Garnacho. Following the match, the winger who puts the fringe in fringe player posted two photos of himself looking frustrated to Instagram, with the caption: ‘When you don’t understand what is happening, remember that God is i...

Leeds United fans chanted for Jesse Marsch’s removal after yet another day of Premier League frustration, this time at Nottingham Forest. YEP chief football writer Graham Smyth gives his verdict. By Graham Smyth Luke Ayling's ashen, crestfallen face told the story of Leeds United's last visit to the City Ground. That 2-0 defeat felt damaging, given the increasingly panicky mood around Marcelo Bielsa's promotion chasers at the time and Ayling's post-match demeanour did little to dispel the notion that the side were feeling it too. Ultimately it was but a bump in the road on the way to the promised land. Three days shy of that game's third anniversary it was Jesse Marsch's face that told you everything you need to know about Leeds right now. Another game from which positives but not points could be plucked was meandering to its conclusion when the head coach, hands on hips, swung a half-hearted kick at an empty bottle. His side, so dominant in a first ha...

Leeds United did it the easy way in their FA Cup third-round replay. By Stuart Rayner Yes, you read that right. From the moment Willy Gnotno scored a stunning volley after 26 seconds, the only team at Elland Road who looked capable of beating Leeds was Leeds. The pessimist who remembered the first game might not have been sitting comfortably when Rodrigo made it two in the 34th minute, but when Gnonto added his second two minutes later, it really was time to get out the cigars. When Cardiff City had a goal harshly chalked by referee Thomas Bramall's review, they could safely be lit. It was if the Whites forgot they are supposed to be the worst team around when 1-0 up, but in case you doubted it was really them, Luke Ayling clumsily let a Sheyi Ojo cross through his legs for former Sheffield United player Callum Robinson to score a not-in-any-way-consoling consolation goal.. In the second half Patrick Bamford helped himself to his second and third goals in two games as...

Leeds United left Villa Park empty handed on Friday night following their 2-1 loss to Aston Villa, but Jesse Marsch was clutching positives. By Graham Smyth The boss saw an impressive display that warranted far more than it got, but not everyone of a Whites persuasion in the ground agreed. Here's the YEP take and some things you may have missed. Good day Tyler Adams Brought so much energy, intensity and physicality to the midfield. Crunched into tackles, won possession at times when it looked all-but impossible. A difficult man to play against. Willy Gnonto Another who is really difficult to deal with. Defenders face a choice of fouling him or watching him sail by, so he earned Leeds plenty of free-kicks. He put Bamford's goal on a plate and might have had one himself. Leeds have got to keep him fit. Patrick Bamford Back on the pitch, back among the goals at long last. The result will not have felt good but Bamford will be champing at the bit to get out there ...

Leeds United bid farewell to experienced midfielder Mateusz Klich at Elland Road on Wednesday night as the Polish international prepares to embark on a new journey in the United States Joe Donnohue Klich broke down on the pitch at full-time and had to be consoled, first by Luke Ayling, then several other teammates as the realisation this would be his final time representing Leeds at Elland Road dawned upon him. The 32-year-old was given a guard of honour by the squad and members of club staff as he departed the field one last time, unafraid to show his emotion having spent five-and-a-half years at the club where he has become a cult hero for his role in the Whites’ 2020 promotion and beyond. Prior to Klich’s Elland Road swansong, Leeds had played out a 2-2 draw with West Ham who had gone five straight Premier League games without picking up a point, but almost left with three if not for Rodrigo’s 70th minute finish. The Whites toiled once more against a side stationed below them ...

There were plenty of holes you could pick in Leeds United's last performance of 2022. By Stuart Rayner Rodrigo was once more isolated up front, the curling shot which forced a Nick Pope save in the second half his team's only effort on target. The team lacked width and at times gave the ball back too easily, allowing pressure to mount. The more Jack Harrison plays in positions other than the left wing – he was in the hole of a 4-2-3-1 at St James' Park – the more he looks like a left-winger. But the good things were so much more important than the nitpicking in a valiant 0-0 draw. If you were expecting perfection on an afternoon when the rain hammered down on a ground where Newcastle United have only been beaten under Eddie Howe's management by Manchester City, Liverpool and Cambridge United, your New Year's resolution really needs to be to take a more realistic view of the world. The Magpies have returned from the World Cup in ominous form, and had extend...

Leeds United left 2022 in their rear view mirror clutching a hard-fought point at Newcastle United. By Graham Smyth It was a pig of a day and the performance wasn’t pretty, but it did the job and secured an important clean sheet for Jesse Marsch. Here’s the YEP take on who stood out and moments you might have missed. Good day Illan Meslier There have rarely been questions over Illan Meslier's shot stopping ability and his one-v-one track record is pretty sensational, but the compliments have not flown so freely over his command of set-pieces. At Newcastle, against a team of gargantuan brutes, he was assured and aggressive. The big saves he made were matched for importance by the punches and catches from free-kicks and corners. Quel joueur. Tyler Adams Mateusz Klich is the master of nuisance and the dark arts at Leeds, but in Adams he has an apprentice who looks more than ready to take the torch if the Pole departs. Adams produced his customary shift in midfield but as...

Leeds United ended their week in Spain with a win, but it was far from straightforward against LaLiga's bottom side By Graham Smyth Elche took the fight to the Whites and impressed with their ability to play through the visitors' press, first-time passes around the corner leaving Jesse Marsch's midfield scrambling and dragging defenders out of position. Fitness was obviously key for Leeds, who have worked hard on the training ground all week, but the game showed just how much work there is to be done to get ready for the Premier League restart. Good day Mateusz Klich: Came on as a second half substitute and added something of what Leeds had been missing. Got involved in some needle - hurling the ball at a player who had previously beaten him with a lovely bit of skill - and scored a peach to win it for Leeds. Whatever the future holds, the finish was a reminder of how good he has been at times since rescuing his Elland Road career from 'the bomb squad' he fo...

Leeds United have concluded their last uninterrupted day of training at Oliva Nova in Spain with a friendly at Elche to come on Thursday before the return to the UK Leeds United went through their last uninterrupted day of training at Oliva Nova on Wednesday with one last session planned for tomorrow before the trip south to Elche. Junior Firpo was spotted at the camp for the first time after arriving on Tuesday, but not in full training with the rest of the squad. Robin Koch was not taking any risks with the tightness he felt in Tuesday’s session, so he was not out on the grass either. However, the German international remains in contention for the Elche clash. After the warm-ups, there were a couple of exercises with the squad split into two again. Using small cages for goals, there were attacking and defensive units training their pressing and counter-pressing at close quarters. Next, the squad would look to refine their patterns of play in building out from the back. With t...

Leeds United have a raft of players entering the final six or 18 months of their Elland Road contracts at the turn of the year and Victor Orta needs to shape how this club's next phase looks Transfers are only going to dominate the Leeds United agenda more and more from here on out. With more than four weeks until a return to action and then only two matches until the January window opens, it’s easy to see why attention is on the chance to strengthen this squad. However, Victor Orta’s eyes will also be on the players he already has in the building at Elland Road. With the arrival of 2023 comes not only another window, but the final six or 18 months in several contracts at Leeds. Traditionally, clubs like to ensure nobody they are interested in keeping enters the final year of their deal. With a number of players entering their 30s, it’s an intriguing time as Orta plots the transition of this squad. Joel Robles signed his one-year deal in the summer, so a decision will surel...

Leeds United did a lot right against Tottenham Hotspur, as they have throughout part one of their Premier League season. The problem is, the things they are getting wrong are the really big ones. By Stuart Rayner It is why they beat Chelsea and triumphed at Anfield, why they ought to have defeated Arsenal and should have taken something from Spurs, yet will spend Christmas 15th in the Premier League after a thrilling but soul-destroying 4-3 loss. "We've encapsulated our 16-game season in one match," said their coach Jesse Marsch, who walked off with a face like thunder after seeing his players perform very well against one of Europe’s best teams. Poor finishing has often been their undoing but pepped-up by the attacking youth of Crysencio Summerville and Willy Gnonto – who struggled after an early knock on Saturday's full debut and was sacrificed at half-time – they scored four against Bournemouth, three at Spurs. Rodrigo has five goals in four league matches,...

The last time Leeds United played at Molineux they were indebted to Jesse Marsch's leadership council for the 3-2 victory. By Graham Smyth Rodrigo and Luke Ayling scored the goals that completed a comeback from 2-0 down and fellow council members Stuart Dallas, Adam Forshaw, Rodrigo and Patrick Bamford joined them in the starting line-up. So much was riding on it that Marsch's selection of Ayling, along with Diego Llorente, Jack Harrison and Mateusz Klich was no surprise whatsoever. Then, in the midst of a relegation battle, the quartet were automatic picks for the recently-installed head coach. If they were fit, they played. The same could be said of their selection for the midweek Carabao Cup tie at Wolves, but for very different reasons. So much has changed in the landscape of the Leeds squad since last season that a starting place is no longer a reasonable expectation for players once considered shoo-ins. For Ayling, Llorente and Klich, their place in the side start...

ARM ROUND THE SHOULDER Written by: Moxcowhite • Daniel Chapman A sodden morning of murk barely allowing afternoon to happen was not kind to those Leeds fans, not inclined to give up their tickets, who trudged through puddles outside and inside Elland Road for a grim Sunday of duty instead of pleasure. Leeds United are playing, so we have to go. With no domestic television coverage, no glamorous opponent, no razzle and no dazzle, this was the Premier League showing its arse, hardly distinguishable from the Championship we longed for so long to escape. At one point Fulham hit a long ball up to Aleksandar Mitrovic and Liam Cooper headed it back over halfway, and amid the damp muttering crowd the Champo vibes were strong. This could have been any game, anywhere, at any time, the only difference from 2017 that Leeds are bereft and clueless at the bottom end of a different table. The more time passes since Marcelo Bielsa was fired, the more Faustian that pact looks. Maybe that did secure...

Leeds United boss Jesse Marsch doesn't need Junior Firpo or Luke Ayling to be happy, he needs them to be ready. By Graham Smyth More than once this season the Whites head coach has been asked how he contents the senior players who are not currently in his starting XI and his priority is not so much their happiness, but their understanding that it will take a squad of fully committed players to make this a good season for Leeds. And that commitment will manifest itself in a player's readiness to be called upon, when the time comes. For Ayling, the time might not come just yet because Rasmus Kristensen appears to be hitting his stride after a difficult start to Premier League life and the performances against Crystal Palace and Arsenal should be enough to keep him in situ on the right of the back four. Until Wednesday afternoon the generally accepted wisdom was that Firpo could be looking at an equally challenging task to get into Marsch's line-up, thanks chiefly to the...