Mighty Leeds Weblog

Jesse Marsch admits that Leeds United still have tactical wrinkles to iron out, after a smash-and-grab win over Elche By Graham Smyth The first public friendly of the World Cup break - Leeds beat Preston North End behind closed doors a week ago - saw them go behind and struggle in the first half against LaLiga's bottom side. An opening goal was richly deserved for Elche and they continued to cause problems in the second half, although eventually Leeds levelled and then hit the front through Joe Gelhardt's tap-in and Mateusz Klich's fine strike. "Sometimes the opponent did a pretty good time of switching the ball and then pressing us in on our backline and then sometimes we lose concentration to stay connected in the ways that we want to, so we're still working through some of that," said Marsch. The absence of Robin Koch, who has picked up an injury in training this week in Spain, and Diego Llorente's recovery from hand surgery, meant that Liam Coo...

SCORING GOALS Written by: Moxcowhite • Daniel Chapman Remember, remember, it’s just a friendly in December. Usually we can switch off after a lacklustre out-of-season friendly game and take our frustration outdoors into a sweltering pub garden, but that doesn’t work three weeks before Christmas. Maybe this is better, though, because a disappointing game at this time of year would normally mean dropping league points and increasing dread, whereas beaming over from Elche was Mateusz Klich grinning his head off, running around with an oversized trophy to celebrate his winning worldie. So thanks Fifa, I guess? The only problem with these so-called ‘meaningless’ games is that the long shadow of the league season prevents everyone from switching completely into exhibition mode. It restricts the players, who are trying to impress coaches with their workrate rather than fans with tricks, and it restricts fans, who can’t watch Crysencio Summerville limping off after five minutes without f...

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...

Oliva is not Dubai, nor is it San Francisco, but what it has been for Leeds United this week is a positive, productive bubble. By Graham Smyth Jesse Marsch's big thing is stress and how to protect his players from it, having felt it gripping the team when he first arrived, so taking them away to a place where training and each other's company are the only real distractions was an ideal opportunity for him to focus on the work and not its results. And as Liverpool and Newcastle United swanned around in the Middle East, the Whites spent their days on the Oliva Nova Sports Centre pitches, in the gym and in each other's pockets, partaking in quizzes and watching the World Cup together. Other than an afternoon round of golf or game of padel, there wasn't a lot else for them to do, not a fat lot going on in a municipality that comes alive with golfing, biking and beach seeking tourists in the summer but feels dead in winter months. 'Middle of nowhere,' was how...

Mateusz Klich netted a brilliant 88th-minute winner as Leeds United recovered from a dreadful first-half display and two injury blows to bag the Festa d’Elx Trophy with a 2-1 triumph against Thursday night’s ‘friendly’ hosts Elche. Lee Sobot Elche thought they had taken an early lead in the fourth minute when Lucas Boye converted at the second attempt only to be flagged offside. Leeds then immediately countered up the other end of the pitch and Crysencio Summerville looked destined to score when racing through only to be denied by a last ditch tackle from Elche’s John Nwanko. Both players were injured in the collision and in-form 21-year-old Dutch winger hobbled off to be replaced by Sam Greenwood in the 11th minute. Leeds struggled to get out of their own half and Elche created a string of good chances before finally taking the lead on the stroke of half time. The hosts switched the play from left to right and Josan was played in behind Leo Hjelde before producing a lovely lovel...

Elche 1-2 Leeds: Mateusz Klich's late rocket seals comeback win against LaLiga basement boys, but Jesse Marsch suffers another injury blow as Crysencio Summerville limps off in ill-tempered friendly In-form Summerville was forced off with an ankle injury in the 11th minute Striker Bamford has already been ruled out for up to three weeks after groin op Leeds beat Elche despite finishing with 10 men after Perkins went off injured Josan put hosts ahead just before the break but Gelhardt equalised with a tap-in Klich's stunning late strike from 25 yards sealed comeback win for Leeds By DAVID WOOD Leeds suffered another injury blow after Crysencio Summerville hobbled off in Thursday's friendly against Elche. The Dutchman, who had scored in four successive Premier League games before the World Cup break, required treatment after a tackle during a session at the club's training camp in Spain. And Summerville was forced off with an ankle injury in the 11th min...

Leeds United will face an Elche side battling hard for survival in this evening's mid-season break friendly at the Estadio Manuel Martínez Valero (kick-off 7.15pm). Lee Sobot This evening's hosts were promoted to La Liga as 2019-20 Segunda Division play-offs winners and the Alicante outfit have finished 17th and 13th in the last two campaigns. Elche, though, have amassed just four points from 14 games over the current season so far and are still seeking a first league win of the 2022-23 term. Sitting at the bottom of the division, Elche have scored just ten goals over those 14 games in which they have leaked in 31 at the other end. Their four points so far this season have come from draws at home to Almeria and Mallorca and away at Espanyol and Valencia, Contests against the division's two giants both ended in 3-0 defeats with Elche's Gonzalo Verdu sent off in the 14th minute of September's defeat at Barcelona who netted through a Robert Lewandowski brace an...