Leeds Utd Vs Manchester Utd

First of all just to introduce myself my name is Dan and my Twitter handle is @RWBielsa and I fully enjoy engaging people on there so I thought I'd start a blog just because I want to and give my insights so hopefully you enjoy. Any thoughts, opinions or improvements - please let me know!

So just to start off going into this game I was probably as pessimistic as every other Leeds fan, not expecting anything from this game. As much as I liked how Skubala sounded in his press conference before the game, I just didn't have faith. From Marsch leaving his position to having to bring in a new manager I almost wrote this game off, as well as the game on Sunday (when we play Manchester United again at 2pm, Elland Road).

Despite all of the pessimism, we started the game very brightly. Willy Gnonto showed again why he's one of the most promising young players not only in this division, but in European football. Overall, there were a lot of promising, exciting individual displays throughout the 90 minutes. The Gnonto finish was a fantastic goal, a one-two with Patrick Bamford was brilliant to watch and when Willy got into that position, you held your breath for a second thinking of what could happen because we know he is capable from that range and angle. Absolutely divine, and the best way to start such a high-stakes game for Leeds United. My personal favourite moment from the goal was when Wilfried hit the so-called ‘Rashford Celebration’. Brilliant.

The next notable set of events that took place from the game for myself was the Pascal Struijk & Luis Sinisterra injuries - not what we needed so early in the game. Although I personally thought Junior Firpo deserved a start at left-back, Struijk did well in the opening minutes and made the challenge that led to our first goal so it was a shame to see him go off. It was a blow to the head after Marcus Rashford took on a shot from outside of the box, inside of flying over the bar or nessling in the top corner, the ball hit poor Pascal directly on the noggin. Ouch. Luis Sinisterra’s injury looked a worrying one at the time, though we haven't yet heard anything about it from any of the backroom staff so fingers crossed with that one. It seemed as though he dropped to the ground unchallenged holding his hamstring, so it could be serious. Hopefully it was precautionary but I'm sure we will hear something soon.
After the importance of covering the two injury concerns, let’s get onto the positives shall we? Two of the biggest positives that I took from the game was the performances of our two central midfielders; Weston McKennie & Tyler Adams. To pinpoint Adams, we already knew how impactful he could be, especially when it comes to big games against the tougher opponents - but last night he was immense and completely ran the show with McKennie in that midfield. Tyler Adams was great, and thanks to @LUFCDATA on Twitter for the stats, we know that Adams made the most ball recoveries in the 90 minutes. HUGE.

Another big performance from the 2-2 draw with scu-... Manchester United was Luke Ayling. Now, Ayling isn’t known for his pace or athleticism, but he is known for his passion, determination and commitment to putting in a good performance… and last night he achieved that. He had the challenge of dealing with Garnacho, a young Argentine, who is the most opposite of Ayling & IS known for his pace and quick-feet, but the Leeds United defender held his own well and put in a really deep and strong performance which limited the chances that Alejandro Garnacho had. Brilliant, Luke.

To finish off this piece, I just want to thank you for reading. I thought I would give this a go and I hope you enjoyed it, if you got this far. As I said at the start, if you can provide any feedback I'd really appreciate that. But I'll leave you with this…

Always believe in Leeds United. Yes, that belief might break your heart from time to time, but it’s the times where you’re just starting to worry, panic or get anxious that this special club reminds you that there is a reason you fell in love with it. Keep believing. Keep marching on.

Into them on Sunday, Leeds. MOT.

Thanks for reading!

Dan