Mighty Leeds Weblog

HMMMM Written by: Moxcowhite • Daniel Chapman Eeesh. It’s not the sound anyone wanted to hear at Elland Road four days before Christmas 2022 but, eeesh, it’s the sound we got. But also, aaaiiieeeee. If ever a match needed Wilf Gnonto to win a penalty and for Joe Gelhardt to boot it into the net and send the cold kids-for-a-quid home happy and squealing with the last kick of the game, this was it. It’s a real upside that half the crowd — the half under fourteen years old — won’t care, in years to come, if Monaco’s four easy goals exposed failings in Jesse Marsch’s defence as he tried to collect enough healthy players for a team one week before restarting the Premier League season against Manchester City. All that is a problem for grown ups, and specifically Jesse Marsch himself, not the kids cheering all Brenden Aaronson’s backheels, booing all Monaco’s goals, staying up late as a Christmas treat. Aaaiiieeee! Joffy scored a goal and you were there to see it. Go to sleep dreaming it ...

To the soundtrack of Leeds United's 'Best of Christmas' album over the stadium PA, there was a nervousness which enveloped Elland Road ahead of kick-off on Wednesday night Joe Donnohue For the Whites' final mid-season friendly, Ligue 1 outfit AS Monaco arrived, late, as Jesse Marsch made four changes to the side which saw off Real Sociedad 2-1 last Friday. Replacing Joel Robles, Mateusz Klich, Rodrigo Moreno and Liam Cooper were Kristoffer Klaesson, Sam Greenwood, Joe Gelhardt and Robin Koch, but news of the starting line-up only served to spotlight the volume of absentees - and their importance to Marsch's strongest theoretical XI. Klich, Rodrigo and Cooper joined Jack Harrison, Tyler Adams, Illan Meslier, Crysencio Summerville, Patrick Bamford and Luis Sinisterra on the sidelines, bringing Leeds' list of missing first-team players to ten, including long-term absentee Stuart Dallas. Youngsters Sonny Perkins and Archie Gray playing no part either made an e...

A disastrous nine-minute spell early in the second half cost Leeds United dear as Jesse Marsch's depleted Whites fell to a 4-2 defeat at home to AS Monaco in Wednesday night's final mid-season break friendly. Lee Sobot Leeds were missing ten first team players but were quickly on the front foot and almost went ahead in the ninth minute when a fine pass from Rasmus Kristensen released Sam Greenwood who sent in a low cross which Joe Gelhardt sent narrowly wide on the stretch. But the Whites were dominating and went ahead in the 13th minute when a Marc Roca corner was met by Robin Koch who headed home a neat finish at the near post. Monaco offered very little but equalised in the 25th minute when a cross from the right flank was headed back across goal and met by Breel Embolo to smash home. Leeds continued to impress and a brilliant crossfield pass from Brenden Aaronson played in Kristensen whose shot back across goal was cleared near the line. After a fine ball from Roca,...

Leeds United unveiled a new look for the Christmas party season at Elland Road on Wednesday night. By Stuart Rayner If their lop-sided 4-3-1-2 had Manchester City in mind, was a response to no Jack Harrison, Crysencio Summerville, Rodrigo, Patrick Bamford or Luis Sinisterra, or the plan for part two of the season was unclear. On first glance, when the home side were being a bit forward, it was quite attractive. On closer inspection, they were all fur coat. Leeds were too easy to attack, and the net result was 4-2 to Monaco. The result did not matter, of course, but some of what could loosely be called the defending did. The forward line consisted of Joe Gelhardt at centre-forward, Willy Gnonto wide on the left and Brenden Aaronson going where he liked – to good effect in the hole behind. When Leeds had the ball, Rasmus Kristensen bombed on to leave a back three of Luke Ayling, Robin Koch and Pascal Struijk, and otherwise it was down to Gelhardt and Sam Greenwood, from the...