Match Day Thread Leeds Utd v Wolves Match Thread

Meslier - 7. Couple of really good saves to keep Wolves out. Held on to the ones straight at him. Just gave possession away once or twice cheaply at the beginning of the 2nd half. Other than that, a great start for him.

Kristensen - 6. Strangely outmuscled for Wolves opener but was super strong in the air, should have won a penalty and linked up really well with Aaronson going forward. Fantastic tackle to deny Wolves a 1 v 1 2nd half. Solid debut but unfortunately his mistake for the goal. More to come from this fella.

Koch - 6. Defended OK individually. Passing was erratic at times and his partnership with Llorente looks a little disjointed at times.

Llorente - 6. Caught upfield for the Woves goal and similarly to Koch won a lot of his individual duels. Needs to work on that partnership with Koch though. Brought the ball out well for Bamfords headed chance.

Struijk - 6. Out of position at LB and lacks a bit of pace. Saying that he gave us some physical presence and has the passing ability to play there. Overall a solid game, just his mobility that he struggles with out wide.

Adams - 8. A little yorkshire terrier in the middle. Broke up play, selfless running to make space for others. Great engine. A proper players player. His teammates will love him if he carries on like that.

Roca - 6. He could be one of those players you have to see live to appreciate the work he does without the ball. A bit like Klich. Didn't notice him massively in the game but I'm guessing he spent alot of time in the back line whilst the full backs pushed up. Wasted possession a couple of times but he has certainly improved our competitiveness in the central area from last season. One to watch.

Rodrigo - 8. A continual frustration for me. Picked up some fantastic positions, got past his marker often enough, got us up the field and obviously is a good player. He then overhits the final pass and sulks when subbed as the game slips away. Frustrating. However, scored by hitting it hard and low and he was the driving force behind that first half performance. Energy levels dipped after half time and the game passed him by as Wolves dominated.

Harrison - 8. Put in 2 or 3 world class crosses throughout the game. Happy to take players on and doesn't give up when it doesn't work. Tireless performance and should be given assist for Rodrigos goal. Newcastle need to double their offer just to buy his left leg.

Bamford - 7. Still looked a little short of match sharpness but put himself about and supplied a great cross for the winner. More to come from him as he really gets sharp.

Aaronson - 9. MOM. Full of energy, full of quality and tailor made for the PL. If he stays fit and plays like this we will be looking upwards rather than behind us this season. Well done recruitment team.

Subs.

Klich - 8. Pretty much the match winner imo. We were struggling to get out of our box when he was put on. He not only calmed us down and kept the ball, he led the press, was aggressive, wound up the Wolves players and played a lovely weighted pass through to Bamford for the winner. Turned a possible loss in to a much needed 3 points. Great impact.

Greenwood - 6. Decent little cameo from him. Kept it neat and tidy, did his job and managed the game until the end with a bit of professionalism winding down the clock. This lad might turn into a great little midfielder.

Gelhardt - n/a. Just tore about up front ensuring Wolves couldn't build any real momentum.

Summerville - n/a. same as Gelhardt. Showed a lovely turn of pace on the right to release a bit of pressure. One to watch this season if he gets minutes.

Marsch - 7. Players look to be pumped up playing the new system. Even Rodrigo looked like a man possessed. Only criticism was the midfield should have been changed earlier as it was clear Rodrigo had run himself in to the ground. Saying that, the decision to put on Klich was a genius move as I didn't think he would have the pace to keep up with the technical Wolves attackers. Bonus points for chasing Lage off the pitch at the end.

Comments welcome boys.

 

Sorry for spamming the thread guys but

Highlights

 

Marsch post game

 

Can't argue with that for me......Aaronson is a Duracell bunny could be a bargain as I stated earlier WE WONT GO DOWN .....now for Lanzarote a happy oldschool

 

Aaronson post game

 

U21 highlights

 

Our boys realise who they are playing for.
Lions defender Cresswell, on loan from Leeds, had been the two-goal hero of anencouraging 2-0 opening-day win, but discovered how quickly fortunes can change with a glaring mistake for the Blades' second goal.

The visitors' generous defending continued when Jamie Shackleton's careless cross-field pass gave Brewster a run on goal forcing Cooper to concede a spot-kick.

 

Sadly lost a goal, as I had predicted, because we're just as vulnerable at the back as we were last year. You can't be cavalier in your attack without a solid defence. But we won! And despite the rustiness we showed. And especially despite the ref. This ref was possibly one of the worst I've seen, and clearly favoured Wolves. But we won! (I like the sound of that phrase & want to use it every game ).


That little turd Hwang (#11) kept going down like he was shot - and remained on the deck until the physios came to stick a tit in his mouth. Clearly liked it. I think he went down like that 4 or 5 times in the first half alone. Their #7 & #10 joined in too. Seems to be a great game, this time-wasting lark. They've clearly got a few Grand Masters, 8th Dans, or whatever you want to call the cnuts.

One highlight for them was their #3. There was no stopping him. Up & down the wing constantly, with deep involvement. Not sure if it was just because we play so narrow, & thus offer him so much space, but whatever the reason, I'd gladly sign him & improve our team.

Ratings

Meslier - 7 Could have perhaps done better for their goal, but tbf, it was a mis-hit, & they're the worst to defend against. Had one absolute worldy of a save, but can't remember when that was.

Kristianson - 6 I was a bit underwhelmed by him. Perhaps I expected too much. He did have one absolutely brilliant tackle in the penalty box that would have been a pen & red if he got it wrong. The thing that really surprised me was getting knocked off the ball for their goal. He doesn't seem to have the build for a comparatively wee man to do that, but it happened. He's not a leader like Ayling, but I can see the potential & the desire, so happy with the status quo for now.

Kock - 7 Busy boy & the better of our 2 CBs. Made a lot of clearances & some good through balls.

Llorente - 6 Still has this fcuking habit of toying around with the ball in the area for far too long. Your heart is in your mouth when it happens. And boy, does it happen! Several times today, so service as normal. He got away with it today. He likes to make long passes through the middle & did well with that again today - better than Koch, tbh.

Struijk - 6 Square peg, round hole. Tried his best & did reasonably well for a CB playing LB. His bulk & height helped with attacks, but like Krisianson, kept getting caught upfield, both without the pace to recover comfortably.

Roca - 7 Solid performance, but much quieter than I anticipated. Did most of the dirty work, allowing Adams to go cause trouble going forward.

Adams - 9 MoM for me. Prior to the match, I had been lamenting our lack of a 'hard nut' in the team, á la Batty, Phillips etc. It really surprised me when I watch some of his defending. Crunching tackles that you could hear! Loads of them. And fast AF, both in terms of pace & vision/passing. I think he might be our best signing, based on what I've watched in the flesh.

Aaronson - 8 Duracell bunny. Reminded me of the better performances from Alioski. Seems to be a great signing so far.

Rodrigo - 7 Erratic performance, just like the Cagliari match. Poor passing, even worse pressing, yet scores. I don't think he's anywhere near full fitness, & it showed 2nd half. Either that or he's the lazy cnut I've witnessed on too many occasions.

Harrison - 9 Almost MoM. Just a bawhair in it. Involved in everything. Just hope he can be more consistent this season. Wouldn't sell him even if we were offered £50m.

Bamford - 6 Rusty. No doubt about it. Had the ball worked for him a little better, he would have been 1 on 1 with the 'keeper several times, but it didn't. And most of that was down to his poor touch & control. More to come from him, but it was good to see him back in action. We've missed him.

Subs

Klich - 7 Turned the game when he came on. Made it perfectly clear that whilst he's lost some pace, he's still a necessary impact player. We'll miss him if he goes. Defended from the front, & was a major pain in the arse for Wolves.

Greenwood - 6 Did a reasonable job when he came on, but that job was at DM. Not even box-to-box! Solid DM play from him, which threw me. I thought he'd have been playing further forward, with Klich in that role, but it was not to be. Guessing we wanted Klich defending from the front & Greenwood spraying the ball about from the back. TBF, that's exactly how it played out. Strange selections, but most effective.

Geldhart, Summerville - n/a Only on 5 mins

 

I think Meslier's great save was just before half time.

 

Regarding Roca and Adams I've said after the Cagliari game that most of their good work is done off the ball. It will be tough to judge these guys by watching on the telly.

I think it's why a lot of fans are surprised when I say that Klich was our best player in the Championship under Bielsa. The unselfishness on the pitch is massively under rated.

 

Often the only way to tell is how the team functions without them. People pick out the misplaced passes with klich but the team under bielsa was invariably worse when he was subbed. If he’ll stay and we can use him as a ‘closer’ will be great, but doesn’t look like that’s the case.

 

That’s good to know. I’m all for diversity.

 

You know it’s going to be a good season when we win our first game, deservedly…….

….. and Fat Frank loses at home, equally deservedly

 

Your wish has been granted...... without a doubt

 

Evening all.
I know I keep banging on about it but what I was most impressed with was the composure we showed in the final 3rd. I think Aaronsson is going to be a superstar for us if he carries on like that. He's exactly what we need.
I didn't see what Struijk did wrong today at LB. I thought Rodrigo prefers the Marsch formation because we're seeing more from him.
Well done Klich! I hope he stays.
Their goal was a fluke and we should have had a pen. They were missing Jiminez but they were 2nd best today. I'm buzzing.

 

Mug

 

You're bang on about Struijk. He did nothing wrong at all.

It's purely a physical thing with him at left back. He doesn't have the engine to sprint up and down the wing and he lacks a little bit of pace. We'd be much more balanced with someone like that and it would provide a better attacking point on our left hand side.

He did well today and against Cagliari. Nothing wrong with what he did. It just looks like a position we could improve on.

 

There’s undoubtedly a good footballer in struijk.. he just completely lost his confidence last season. He’s still very young. It’s to his credit that he’ll give it a shot wherever he’s picked, but there’s a difference between ‘doing a job’ and being a natural… he’s never going to be a full back… anymore than shak’s will be an nba basketball player.

 

Just back from the beach did we beat the dog yeds?

 

After lulling them into a false sense of security, agents Cresswell and Shackleton Start the good work