Jesse Marsch set to 'suffer' October headache as Leeds United man reacts to summer transfer move - YEP 23/9/22
Somewhere down the line, Leeds United's right-back position is going to give Jesse Marsch a problem, a good one.
By Graham Smyth
A headache, in the form of Luke Ayling, is making its way
towards the American and it might just strike in time for the October 2 game
against Aston Villa.
There was never any danger of Ayling taking the signing of
Rasmus Kristensen lying down.
This is a man, after all, whose refusal to accept defeat was
instrumental in games that will never be forgotten by the Whites in attendance,
like a 5-4 win at Birmingham, the 1-0 win at Swansea that essentially clinched
promotion and last season's 3-2 win at Wolves.
Having clawed his way back to the top of football's mountain
from League One, Ayling is no stranger to overcoming adversity and will view
the £10m Danish international standing in his path as just another obstacle to
clamber over.
Kristensen is somewhat mountainous, physically, and arrived
at Elland Road with a solid reputation but it's entirely fair to say that he is
heading off for international duty after a rocky start to the Premier League
season.
Of all the summer signings it was Kristensen who appeared
the safest bet for a smooth landing in the English top flight but even world
class operators have found a bumpy ride on these shores.
Despite his struggle to match the levels of Brenden
Aaronson, Tyler Adams and Marc Roca in his initial appearances, Kristensen was
still booked on a flight to join up with the Denmark squad for this month's
Nations League fixtures against Croatia and France.
But before he jetted off, the right-back had a first-class
seat reserved in the West Stand to watch Ayling's run out for the Under 21s
against Southampton.
He and the other 10,000 or so were treated to what was a
familiar sight for everyone else, as Ayling bombed up the right flank in
support of early attacks that signalled how comfortable this game would be for
Leeds.
The presence of four senior Whites, along with youngsters now
firmly embedded in the first team set-up, made for an uncomfortable night for
the young Saints.
Liam Cooper gave up very little in the back four along with
Ayling, Leo Hjelde and Junior Firpo, while Patrick Bamford helped himself to a
hat-trick.
For Ayling it wasn't much of a test in terms of ability, but
it was important for him to test out his body over the course of 80 minutes
after such a lengthy lay-off.
His 20-minute cameo against Brentford was his first action
since last season, a knee surgery ruling him out of the entire pre-season
fixture programme and the first six games of the unfolding campaign
In his absence, Kristensen has held down the right-back spot
when fit, and although appearing fully committed, physical and athletic, has
struggled at times both positionally and in possession.
The first issue is somewhat of an occupational hazard for a
full-back in a team that requires them to play so high and wide but the second
is not so easy to explain away.
His pass completion rate in all three categories of short,
medium and long, albeit after just five games, is shy of Ayling's numbers in
the Premier League.
Long passes in particular have been more miss than hit, for
the 25-year-old.
Where he does have a slight edge on his more senior
right-back rival is in the air, winning two thirds of his aerial duels. Ayling,
by comparison, wins around half of his.
Another consideration for Marsch is just how well Kristensen
knows his system, having played for him at RB Salzburg. His knowledge of what
Brenden Aaronson will do and how they should link up is more instinctive, for
now, than Ayling's.
Both men are keen to get forward and add something in the
final third.
That was the biggest takeaway from Ayling's Fright night
display at Elland Road.
He showed no signs of playing within himself or taking it
steady, making runs from defence to attack and trying desperately to either get
amongst the goals or set more up.
His best chance of doing either in the first half came with
a run into the area to support Crysencio Summerville, only to take a heavy
touch when the cut-back found him.
In the second half there was almost an assist, on two
occasions, for Patrick Bamford.
And there might have been a goal, had he produced something
more composed than the blazed finish from Summerville's feed with 16 minutes to
go.
By playing a full 80 minutes, though, Ayling has put the cat
among the pigeons because he cannot now be too far away from 90-minute fitness.
Premier League 2 is not the real thing, far from it, and
Kristensen has the benefit of a summer head start and possible competitive game
time with Denmark over the next week.
It might not be long, though, before he and Ayling are neck
and neck.
