Leeds United 0-0 Newcastle United: And breathe — Square Ball 1/9/25
Platform 17
Written by: Rob Conlon
It had been one of those weeks at Leeds United. While losing
5-0 at Arsenal could be brushed off as the depressing reality of the Premier
League, getting knocked out of the League Cup by a bunch of children at
Hillsborough led to justifiable alarm. Signing Facundo Buonanotte would have
lifted the mood, yet briefing journalists he was on his way to Elland Road even
though he hadn’t boarded a plane and subsequently missing out on a logical
target whose skillset is missing from this squad only raised further questions
about whether Leeds had really learned from their mistakes of the past or not.
All those things only increased the pressure on Daniel Farke
and his team ahead of a difficult game against Newcastle. Walking to the ground
hardly helped lift spirits, the rain pouring down earlier than expected,
leaving me drenched and ruining plans for a pint outside The Peacock before
kick off.
Thankfully, the announcement of the teamsheet proved Farke
has learned some lessons at least. Out dropped Joel Piroe from the starting XI
against Arsenal and in came Lukas Nmecha, giving Leeds the focal point they
sorely lacked in the capital. Nmecha is hardly the most refined forward to play
for Leeds and his use of the ball can be frustratingly clumsy, but whereas it’s
often easy to forget Piroe is on the pitch, Nmecha at least provides a nuisance
factor for opposition defenders to deal with and a target for United goalkeeper
Lucas Perri a target to aim towards. That’s something Perri needs to work on,
his wayward kicking occasionally launching the ball for shortarses Wilf Gnonto
and Dan James to challenge beanpoles like Dan Burn in the air, but he soon realised
he can throw it as far and with more accuracy than he can boot it, giving
Nmecha something to fight for.
Once again, Leeds only got brief glimpses of chances. Gabi
Gudmundsson’s low cross from the left was inches away from giving Dan James or
Jayden Bogle a tap-in at the back post. A similar cross by Gnonto from the
right narrowly evaded Nmecha making a run to the near post. James benefited
from some excellent hold-up play by Nmecha and picked a nice pass back to the
striker behind the defence, only for him to fall over his own feet as the ball
bounced behind him off his heel.
Despite the vast sums of money spent on their squad,
Newcastle were having the same problems. There were a couple of dangerous
crosses that went to waste, but Leeds’ defence was for the most part well
marshalled by Pascal Struijk and in particular Joe Rodon, who had the brawn to
win headers and the brain to buy a few free-kicks while doing so, allowing
Leeds to alleviate any pressure. On one of the only occasions Newcastle worked
a worrying sight on goal inside the penalty area, Gudmundsson was alert and well
positioned to block William Osula’s goal-bound shot. After conceding to all
five shots on target he faced at Arsenal, Perri even proved he could make a
couple of saves, too.
The early evidence from the Peacocks’ opening home games of
the season is that, unlike our last couple of seasons in the top flight, Farke
has fashioned a defence and midfield that can give Leeds a platform in games
and make them hard to beat. In the absence of Ethan Ampadu and Ao Tanaka, Sean
Longstaff was excellent against his former club, snapping into tackles and
making sure Leeds won their share of second balls whenever Nmecha made it
difficult for Newcastle to settle into possession. Longstaff was well supported
by Anton Stach and Ilia Gruev in that respect, and the trio’s workload explains
why Farke turned relatively early to Jack Harrison and Brenden Aaronson off the
bench. If he couldn’t change his central midfield, then he could at least
maintain the energy levels out wide to help them out.
Harrison continued his post-loan clause rehabilitation with
another handy cameo off the bench. Whatever you think of him, he’s been a
useful asset for Leeds in the Premier League before and can be again. It’s not
a coincidence that Harrison was a favourite under Marcelo Bielsa and every
other Leeds manager he’s played under. Farke is no different. “This is how you
win a crowd back, getting your head down, helping in terms of defending,” he
said after the game. “Jack was a role model today and I’m delighted he’s on a
good way to win the doubters back.”
Regardless of what happens on deadline day, Leeds might have
a new starting striker upon their return from international break as Dominic
Calvert-Lewin got more minutes off the bench and came closer than anyone to
snatching a winner, forcing a late save after being given a difficult chance by
Bogle, who is seemingly Leeds’ most threatening attacker judging by the last
few games. It’s no wonder Farke remains desperate to add some creativity to his
side. For all he can frustrate supporters, he can see exactly what we can see
and has been talking about wanting a playmaker since Georgi Rutter was sold
this time last year — and warning the 49ers to prepare for that eventuality
since the previous January.
