Leeds United suffered a 1-0 defeat to fellow Premier League side Aston Villa in a pre-season friendly in Australia that was anything but. Aston Villa’s John McGinn was the villain of the piece as his dangerous tackle on Leeds midfielder Archie Gray saw the teenager leave on a stretcher.
Meanwhile, Danny Ings gave Aston Villa the victory with a second-half penalty. It was the Villains’ second penalty of the match as Ilan Meslier made a terrific double save to deny Philippe Coutinho in the first half.
Leeds’ new midfield trio of Brenden Aaronson, Tyler Adams and Marc Roca got their first start together, while Patrick Bamford continued to work his way back to top form after an injury-hit 2021-22 campaign.
Read on below as SBOTOP shares some of the biggest talking points from Leeds’ first big match of the pre-season.
Teenager Archie Gray suffers unfortunate injury
It’s unfortunate that the big talking point from Leeds’ friendly with Aston Villa was Archie Gray’s injury. Just 11 minutes after coming on as a substitute, the 16-year-old was on the receiving end of a dangerous challenge from John McGinn, which resulted in the teenager having to leave the pitch on a stretcher.
Jesse Marsch said after the match that he’s hopeful Gray’s ankle injury is not too serious. But still, this injury is a disappointing setback for the 16-year-old, who was a surprise addition to the Whites’ pre-season squad and is tipped to play some role in Leeds’ upcoming Premier League campaign.
Gray had appeared in all three of the Whites’ pre-season matches, but this ankle injury is most likely to keep him sidelined for a while.
New midfield makes Leeds bow
Leeds United fans finally got to see their new midfield trio of Brenden Aaronson, Tyler Adams, and Marc Roca playing together for the first time. The three new signings got an hour in against Villa before being substituted.
Adams was a bit unlucky to concede a penalty for a supposed handball that looked iffy even on replay. But on the whole, he was largely solid as he displayed his ball-winning ability. The same goes with his American compatriot, Aaronson, who showcased his excellent pressing skills. But Roca was perhaps the most impressive of the bunch as he got stuck in with some of his challenges.
The hope is that these three will help fill the massive void left by Kalvin Phillips and provide some solidity in the middle of the park. All three are quite capable defenders for their respective positions, with Aaronson and Adams more than familiar with head coach Jesse Marsch’s pressing system.
Clearly, though, there is still some more work to be done on offensively. Roca has drawn comparisons to the great Xabi Alonso for his composure and passing ability, but he and Adams will have to work on keeping possession better. That will hopefully improve as they build up a better understanding.
Meanwhile, Aaronson must continue to increase his influence in attack. The 21-year-old has been energetic thus far in pre-season, but his end product needs to be much more consistent.
Bamford continues comeback as attack still work in progress
After coming on as a substitute against the Brisbane Roar, Bamford got his first start of the pre-season against Villa. The striker still looks quite rusty as he continues to work himself back to his best after an injury-hit season last year. But he did get a good chance that was saved by Robin Olsen and it was a good sign that he got another hour of game time under his belt.
Leeds will be desperate for Bamford to return to his form from 2020-21, when he scored 17 goals and had 7 assists, in order to boost their Premier League 2022 odds of another top-half finish. And the team will need Bamford’s production all the more with Raphinha having moved on to Barcelona.
The attacking quartet of Bamford, Aaronson, Dan James, and Jack Harrison had their moments, but they couldn’t find the breakthrough on goal. This foursome will likely start many games for Leeds this season, so the onus will be on them to deliver Premier League 2022 highlights.
Luis Siniseterra, who will add depth on the wing after Raphinha’s departure, made his second appearance in the pre-season, again as a substitute. The 23-year-old winger did not make that much of an impact in his half-hour against Villa, and it appears it might take him some time to find his feet at Leeds.
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