Mighty Leeds Weblog

Leeds United's pre-season schedule sees the Whites feature take on Brisbane Roar, Aston Villa and Crystal Palace in Australia during July By Joe Donnohue Leeds United have unveiled plans to join Manchester United, Aston Villa and Crystal Palace in Australia this summer on a pre-season tour of the Gold Coast and Perth. The Whites will play three matches Down Under, versus Steven Gerrard's Villa, Patrick Vieira's Palace and A-League side Brisbane Roar over an eight-day period in mid-July. Leeds United's Australian board member Peter Lowy is likely to be in support of the decision given his family's background and involvement with the Australian Football Association, even if the football is a non-competitive footnote. Pre-season tours are often more about public relations, sponsorship deals and gaining match sharpness, but for supporters unable to make the trip over to Elland Road during the regular season, the chance to witness their team will be a priceless

GO FOR IT Written by: Rob Conlon As night follows day, the manager of Leeds United sits down at Thorp Arch for his pre-match press conference and immediately tells us which players have been injured in training since the last presser. Crysencio Summerville is the latest fast-tracking into Rob Price’s treatment room, announced by Jesse Marsch, previewing Saturday’s visit of Manchester City to Elland Road. Summerville injured his ankle in the final training session before Monday’s ding-dong in Croydon(g), ruled out with Tyler Roberts and Adam Forshaw for the rest of the season. Patrick Bamford is still injured too, says Marsch, “but I suspect and can probably expect that he will be on the pitch next week.” That sounds like genuinely good news, but please remember how bad you felt when he came back too early last time, Jesse! The rest of the presser focused on how Leeds can build on consecutive clean sheets while finding a balance between that newfound defensive solidity and remem

Leeds United forward Raphinha has disclosed where he believes there are differences in Marcelo Bielsa and Jesse Marsch's managerial styles By Joe Donnohue Leeds United winger Raphinha is currently the side's top scorer this season with ten goals across all competitions. The Brazilian winger has found the net 16 times since joining the Whites in October 2020 and remains a strong contender to claim the club's Player of the Season award in what has been a testing campaign. During his time at Leeds, Raphinha has elevated his reputation to become one of Brazil's key attacking players and will likely play a part in their bid to lift a sixth World Cup title in Qatar later this year. The 25-year-old has much to thank previous boss Marcelo Bielsa for, although he is also grateful to new head coach Jesse Marsch who has rekindled belief within the squad, Raphinha says. Speaking to BBC Radio Leeds, Raphinha said: "I think that Jesse Marsch brought belief back to th

Jesse Marsch has explained how Brazil winger Raphinha ended up taking long throws for Leeds United at Crystal Palace. By Graham Smyth For the first time in his Whites career, the club's leading goalscorer was seen winding up on the Selhurst Park sideline to hurl the ball into the opposition penalty box, as centre-half Liam Cooper made his way forward to provide an attacking aerial threat. Although Marsch has changed a lot about the way Leeds operate since he replaced Marcelo Bielsa, this was as unexpected a development as any, and it all stemmed from a contest the head coach held in training, as he has at previous clubs. Although no one in the squad put their hand up to boast a long throw, Marsch was sure someone would and had an inkling it would be Raphinha. "We had a contest in training," he said. "I asked the team if anyone had a long throw, and I've done this before and they all said 'no'. And I said 'someone in here does'. And I sai

DEAL WITH HIM Written by: Moxcowhite • Daniel Chapman “He is a good player and we defended against him well as a team,” Kalvin Phillips said on Monday night, asked about Wilfried Zaha after Leeds’ game with Crystal Palace. “The ref complained at us for fouling him, but I think he dives a lot, to be honest with you.” Loads of people think that. Zaha has been playing for twelve years, and in that time, loads of people have noticed that he often dives to win free-kicks. Sometimes he is fouled, sometimes he isn’t, sometimes he doesn’t dive, quite often he does. People talk about that, then, but according to some Crystal Palace fans on social media, Kalvin Phillips should not be one of them. So there’s a reason why Twitter is under offer at $44bn. One fan, a Palace podcast host, has tried laying down some law by posting a thread of video clips of Zaha hitting the deck, and explaining how none of them are dives. ‘Clear foul … Not a foul, immediately up … Clear foul’, and so on. The f

Leeds United head coach Jesse Marsch has already faced Manchester City this season conceding six in the process By Joe Donnohue Jesse Marsch will hardly have been able to believe his luck the last time he faced Pep Guardiola and Manchester City. "I played them already," Marsch told broadcasters at Selhurst Park, referring to Saturday's opposition. "I know a little bit about the way Pep [Guardiola] likes to play. We'll try to create a game plan that that can be aggressive but can also help us find a way to get a result in the match." The American insisted his side will 'go for it' against Man City; a bold ploy considering Marsch's last outing against Guardiola saw his side concede six. RB Leipzig visited the Etihad Stadium last September during Marsch's brief, ill-fated spell at the helm of the German club. While the 6-3 final scoreline appears far from flattering, the Bundesliga club were competitive for the vast majority of the g

By Laurie Whitwell and Phil Hay Manchester United have long been credited with an interest in Kalvin Phillips but the sense that a formal approach could finally happen in this summer’s transfer window is gathering substance. Strengthening midfield has become a top priority at Old Trafford, with Nemanja Matic and Paul Pogba both set to leave, and Phillips fits the bill for the kind of defensive screen the team has needed for several years. Sources say Manchester United have begun exploring, via intermediaries, the prospect of a transfer worth £50 million, although there has been no direct contact between the clubs, and none with Phillips either. Incoming new manager Erik ten Hag will have a major influence over any signings but it is expected there would be support for an approach from interim boss Ralf Rangnick. Phillips has also been admired by assistant manager Mike Phelan since he watched Leeds United beat Salford City 3-0 in the Carabao Cup in August 2019. Sitting alongside

By Phil Hay Time was when Leeds United thought 35 points would put this season out of its misery. It looked like a rough benchmark while Marcelo Bielsa was still the head coach and the club saw it as the threshold for safety after damage-control duty passed to Jesse Marsch at the end of February. Time was, too, when 35 points seemed to promise genuine protection, clear of a bottom three who were plodding on at a much slower rate than a point a game. But every time Leeds dare to exhale, the division closes in once more. A night game at Crystal Palace had people waking early in the morning, feeling that twang in their stomachs and pensively counting the hours. Marsch predicted as he wrapped up a visit to Watford a fortnight ago that a pretty-looking Premier League table would be more of a minefield by the time Leeds played again at Selhurst Park yesterday but tight, in his head, cannot have meant quite this tight: four points clear of third-bottom Everton and two clear of 17th-plac

By Phil Hay One of Pontus Jansson’s biggest attributes was his aerial prowess and it was no coincidence that in finding a way to make Leeds United adequately defend set pieces, Garry Monk tapped directly into that strength. Concessions from dead balls hampered Monk in his early days at Leeds until he and his assistant, Pep Clotet, settled on a system in which Jansson patrolled the box as a free man at corners and other set-piece deliveries. Jansson was there to attack the ball, ignoring the bodies and the jostling around him. That was 2016 and a period when Jansson often felt indispensable but times changed and, three years later, Marcelo Bielsa made the decision to sell him. Jansson’s exit in the summer of 2019 was dictated by more than tactics but it told a story about the type of squad Bielsa liked: mobile, slick, accomplished on the ball. The last thing Bielsa’s Leeds relied on was overwhelming dominance in the air. When opposition sides began to hurt Bielsa from set-pieces

Marcelo Bielsa managed it, Gareth Southgate did too and now Jesse Marsch must get the best out of Leeds United’s Kalvin Phillips. By Graham Smyth Welcoming 2020/21’s England Player of the Year back for the run-in is a luxury for Leeds and the envy of their relegation rivals. Under Bielsa, he became a defensive destroyer who dominated in the Championship, to a degree that he was destined for the top flight even if Leeds had not got there. That dominance was sufficient enough that Southgate was planning to call him up, prior to his Premier League involvement, and, under the Three Lions boss, he had to become something else. At first, next to Declan Rice in a midfield two, it was a little frustrating to watch Phillips as he moved around, taking opposition players with him to create space, without being able to get hold of the ball and play forward as much as he did for his club. It felt like a hand-holding exercise, for a player who was starting to prove in the Premier League,

Leeds United head coach Jesse Marsch spoke to LUTV following Monday’s draw with Crystal Palace. The Whites head coach saw his side go five games unbeaten in the Premier League with a determined draw against the Eagles at Selhurst Park. Marsch gave his thoughts on the result and was again impressed with the defensive display. “To be fair to Crystal Palace, they pushed the game, they came at us in a lot of different ways and were able to unbalance us. “However, it was a night where we fought and we bent, but we didn’t break, which is the big thing. “We’re now two games without giving up a goal, we’re getting more and more confidence with how we defend, especially in the last third, we just need to be a little bit more dangerous and use the ball more effectively in certain moments. “We talked over the break about doing simple things a little bit better and things were a little bit too static at certain times, but the effort, concentration and defensive end of set-pieces was qu

Leeds United did not keep a single Premier League clean sheet during Liam Cooper's three-month injury lay-off earlier this season By Joe Donnohue Leeds United captain Liam Cooper has always had to battle detractors throughout his time at Elland Road. The Scottish international recently made a comeback to the side following a three-month injury lay-off, which has coincided with an upturn in form. There is little dispute over the impact Cooper has off the pitch, leading the squad, setting the standard and generally being an example to the younger, more inexperienced players at Thorp Arch. However, due to Leeds' uncharacteristic wealth of options in central defence, the club captain has not always been supporters' first choice pick in front of goalkeeper Illan Meslier. This view is somewhat at odds with the team's ability to earn positive results on the pitch, though. Since Cooper's return to the starting line-up this month, Leeds have conceded one goal in

Leeds United's Illan Meslier is the only goalkeeper born 2000-or-later to start every league match for their club side across Europe's major competitions By Joe Donnohue Leeds United goalkeeper Illan Meslier has already made the most saves of any goalkeeper in the Premier League this season. While that does not always determine which team boasts the best goalkeeper, it does indicate which sides are facing the most shots - and it is safe to say Meslier has been getting plenty of practice. The 22-year-old Frenchman also happens to be the youngest of any top flight stopper in Europe's major leagues to play over 50% of his side's league games this season, on top of having his goalmouth peppered by the best forwards the Premier League has to offer. It should come as little surprise given Meslier became the youngest goalkeeper to record ten Premier League clean sheets in the competition's history during last campaign, but his age and accompanying progress are wo

OR OPTIMISTIC Written by: Moxcowhite • Daniel Chapman This just wasn’t quite it though, Leeds. A point is valuable in any relegation battle but, with harder games coming on paper, we really wanted three now. A second successive clean sheet is a very rare commodity this season, but the last one came with three goals at the other end, this time, none. The defensive solidity could be what keeps us up, but Leeds looked aimless in the other two-thirds of the field, and that could be what sends us down. Really, we just wanted to see something a bit hopeful at Selhurst Park on Monday night. We still have plenty of reasons to actually be hopeful, it’s just hard to remember them while watching a game like this. We still look better than Everton. But I wanted us to look loads better than Everton, not just a bit. This could sound like ingratitude when Leeds are five games unbeaten — three of them wins — but it’s not. It’s desperation. A draw with Palace should represent par, an away point f