Leeds United’s 2024 pre-season calendar began with a 3-0 win at Harrogate Town.
Daniel Farke will have seen this is a good workout for his squad with new face Joe Rothwell getting his debut, Pascal Struijk making his long awaited return from injury, and a number of youngsters, including Harry Gray, getting minutes.
Junior Firpo got things underway for Leeds in the first half as he finished off a cross from Mateo Joseph, with Georginio Rutter making it two in the just after the hour mark. Those three were arguably Leeds’ best performers.
Youngster Sam Chambers then rounded off the scoring with pretty much the final kick of the game, in what was a great moment for him.
Here are five things we learned from the match.
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Daniel Farke tinkers with new formation
Farke did not once revert away from his favoured 4-2-3-1 formation last season, unless it was time to chuck on every attacker known to man late on in a game.
However, that was not the case tonight, as Farke went to a three at the back, and it would be fair to say it certainly did not look out of place with this squad of players.
Leeds seemed to setup in a 3-5-2/3-4-1-2 kind of system, with Firpo and Dan James shining in the first half as wing-backs, and Joseph looking good in a front two.
It will be interesting to see if this is something that he tries heading into the season, though additions will be needed at the back, and in midfield for it to work.
Mateo Joseph shines with new squad number
Finding out a player has changed his squad number is always something some supporters look at in pre-season, and Joseph is one player who had a new one.
Joseph was continuing the theme of Spanish players to don the number 19 shirt at Leeds in years gone by, following in the footsteps of both Pablo Hernandez and Rodrigo. Struijk has also seemingly been handed the five shirt.
Leeds will be hoping Joseph can be as successful as those two were with 19 on the back, and all the signs are there that he will.
He was Leeds’ best player in North Yorkshire, running the channels, linking up play and providing the assist for Firpo’s goal.
Leeds’ squad is ridiculously light
Leeds have done well to shift a lot of the deadwood this summer, but one thing it has left them with is a small squad.
Farke had only six senior players he could look to from his bench at half-time, as he also included four youngsters, including 15-year-old Gray.
Given more exits could be on the way before the end of the window, Leeds are going to need to bring in plenty more players.
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Ethan Ampadu with the armband
All eyes will be on who is handed the captain’s armband on a permanent basis with Liam Cooper’s future still undecided.
Struijk wore it for the majority of the first half of last season, but did not play from Boxing Day onwards due to injury.
Ethan Ampadu then replaced him as captain from around January onwards, and it was the Welshman who retained in when both were on the pitch in the second half. Could be a sign for the season ahead.
Joel Piroe is a problem
Of course, it is very early in pre-season to make such a claim but there is enough evidence from last season, as well as tonight, that Joel Piroe is a problem
Piroe is neither a lone nine or number 10, which is where he spent the majority of the 2023/24 campaign playing after joining from Swansea City.
However, he was put in a front two in Leeds’ newly tried formation last night, and was still a complete passenger during his 45 minutes on the pitch.
Whenever he did get the ball, he regularly gave it away. From that performance, the only way is up.
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