I've struggled to get back into the season after the international break knowing that the season was essentially about finishing as high as possible given the gap to the play-offs has been virtually impossible to bridge even with Boro's automatic-promotion pus form! Also been really busy too.
Many thanks Andy for the preview of tonight's game and it will be certainly one Leeds feel they really need to win as failure to do so will leave them outside the top two after playing a game more than their rivals. Not surprise Leeds lost to Coventry after watching them against Man Utd yesterday - they looked a good side with their players comfortable in possession and playing out from the back plus some good pace in attack. Coventry may be on the same points as Boro but they look a better balanced side than us but like us perhaps have left it too late to crash the play-off party.
I'd agree with Andy that those season stats appear to show Boro have under-performed in this campaign and it's not hard to point to a dozen lost points that would have kept the season alive - though Carrick has never really had an attack or defence he could rely on and possibly a midfield too. Plenty of work to be done in the summer off the pitch and surely having players comfortable retaining possession and passing the ball is a must if Carrick is to create a team that will successfully play the way he desires. That won't be easy as recruitment on a budget is not an exact science.
Interesting to see Morgan Rogers now fully integrated into the Villa side after injuries gave him a break - indeed read many Villa fans purring over what a steal he was and is quickly building reputation as a star in the making - whether Boro can unearth another like him in the summer is hard to say but he certainly didn't look like he'd become the player he did in his first few months. Perhaps a lesson for us all on giving players a fair crack before losing patience.
I should add the same about Latte Lath, who I couldn't see being anything other than another Britt but have been impressed by his all round game in recent weeks and his ability to link up with teammates - didn't think he had that in his game but confidence is king in football - remember Muniz? never looked a player but look at him now a real goal machine at Fulham and playing like a monster.
Anyway, let's see how Boro cope with Leeds tonight with a new defence - Dijksteel is lacking minutes and Silvera has not really found his awareness on the pitch but Clarke and Rav are looking class acts at the back - also though Engel played one of his best games for Boro against Ipswich but must be injured as not in the squad tonight.
From the Echo:
LEEDS (4-2-3-1): Meslier; Byram, Rodon, Ampadu, Firpo; Gray, Gruev; Gnonto, Rutter, Summerville; Bamford.
Subs: Darlow (gk), Cooper, Kamara, James, Shackleton, Fernandez, Piroe, Gelhardt, Anthony.
(my bold)
From a Dirties fan site:
Daniel Farke gets his Leeds United XI wrong
Bamford is on the wrong side of 30, has lost his pace and clinical edge in front of goal.
Piroe started the season strongly and started combining well with Rutter, but has been kept out of the eleven for a while.
Hopefully, he comes on in the second period and wins the Leeds the game.
Definitely an inexperienced bench tonight with just Barlaser with much pitch time - will be tough if any changes are forced early in the game.
Not the side I was hoping for, with McNair not even on the bench, considering MC said he has trained for awhile.
I know we have injuries, but the lack of depth is? You can use your own words and the commitment to Mr Carrick from MFC.
The team will have to play out of their skins tonight if they are to achieve anything.
Perhaps Carrick wants to look at some youngsters now the season is over - is it too soon for early pre-season planning?
Izzy gives Boro the lead in the 7th minute - CJ:
Thomas does well to step up and win possession. Azaz then plays the ball in behind for Latte Lath. He's clattered between keeper and defender, but Jones is alive to the loose ball and taps home. Latte Lath thankfully looks okay after treatment too.
Keep it up, lads.
Izzy gives Boro the lead in the 7th minute - CJ:
Thomas does well to step up and win possession. Azaz then plays the ball in behind for Latte Lath. He's clattered between keeper and defender, but Jones is alive to the loose ball and taps home. Latte Lath thankfully looks okay after treatment too.
Keep it up, lads.
But Dijksteel concedes a penalty six minutes later & Summerville converts. 🙁
Paddy BamBam gives the Dirties the lead in the 18th minute.
Paddy BamBam gives the Dirties the lead in the 18th minute.
CJ:
Boro behind! Leeds turn this game around in five minutes. From Boro's right again. This time, Jones allows Firpo to get a cross again after a simple ball sees him in behind. His cross is in an awkward area and Clarke and Dieng look to the other to deal with it. Bamford profits as he allows the ball to hit his knee and in it goes. Poor from Boro back there.
Boro level after 30 minutes courtesy of ELL - the Beeb:
What a ripper this is.
Good work by Finn Azaz to win the ball out wide and Middlesbrough press on. Emmanuel Latte Lath gets it on the edge of the box, shuffles across the edge before hitting a fierce shot that Ilian Meslier could not get a strong enough hand to.
Level. What a game we've got here. Leeds in peril again all of a sudden.
Gnonto restores the Dirties' lead in the 39th minute. 🙁 CJ:
Howson gives it away in the middle, but Leeds still have a lot to do from there. Great football up to Boro's box. Dijksteel caught sleeping as Gnonto gets in behind him and finishes well. With VAR he'd have been offside, though, by the looks of the replay.
Well Boro have not played the cagey sit-back-and-counter game at all! So much space for those pacey Leeds runners.
A great start for us, playing with aggression and purpose at both ends of the pitch and taking the lead through a lively Isaiah Jones.
Then quickly 2-1 down. Fingers will be pointed at Dijksteel, who hasn’t had the best half of football (perhaps understandably given his lack of minutes and the quality of opposition) but I thought Rutter was clever, thrusting a leg out to draw the contact for the penalty. The real issue was Rutter getting goal-side of him in the first place.
The second Leeds goal was a shocker. A good ball into the box but could have been dealt with by any one of the three Boro players back there had any of them shown any proactivity. Very poor.
Latte Lath then shows us what a bang in form striker looks like with a peach of an equaliser from the edge of the box, before Leeds get an offside third.
Chaos. Maddening. Great late-season entertainment though.
I’d like to stay unbeaten.
Leeds' third goal was as clear as an off-side it can be. What was the assistant thinking? In the replay, the Leeds man was one to two yards off-side.
I would blame the second goal as a hesistance from Dieng - but as Andy said, also the two defenders hesitated.
Anyway, I hope we can get a goal or two in the second half. It has been a really entertaining match. It helps also that the result is not so important for the Boro.
Up the Boro!
Well can't fault the entertainment value of that first have but too many defensive mistakes from Boro and from the linesman too. Looks like there could be more goals in this game as it's a very open game but Boro still look uncomfortable with pace running at them but are creating plenty of chances themselves - could easily end 4-4 on that evidence.
If only we had VAR also in the Champioship....
Up the Boro!
If only we could have defended better all season.
Summerville adds a fourth for Leeds in the 61st minute. 🙁 CJ:
Boro so open as they went on the attack. Breaks kindly for Leeds and Rutter plays Summerville in with Dijksteel out of position and Thomas dropping deep playing him onside. Great finish once into the box, but too easy from a Boro point of view.
Enthralling game. Two great goals from Boro, spoiled by poor conceded goals at the other end, albiet the third is offside.
Good going forward but we have been bad defensively. Midfield has been giving the ball away all the first half and the pace of the game is too much for Howson.
Dijksteel. Well what can you say. And Silvera, anonymous.
ELL reduces the arrears with three minutes of normal time to go. Five minutes of injury time...
Well that was a fun game. A shame we lost it but it doesn’t really matter.
A takeaway for me is that Barlaser is far more creative than any of our attacking midfielders. Maybe we should go 4-3-3.
Well that wasn't the kind of display by a team who had nothing to play for - more like a cup semi-final and in the end unlucky not to get that 4-4 and go into extra time 😉
Latte Lath has certainly gone up another level in the last few weeks and if we're not careful he'll be another player attracting interest - Great game to watch and Leeds mighty relieved to ride their luck and escape with 3 points
@andy-r I have always had a soft spot for Barlaser and his undoubted passing ability. If only he was a bit more robust. Likewise Azaz, he has skill and can pass the ball, of that there is no doubt. But like Barlaser, he is (at the moment?) just missing that little bit extra.
I also thought Gilbert did well, when he came on and excellent foresight with his ball over the top for LL.
If we are going to have any chance of thinking about a top six place next season, then the midfield needs to be better. More goals and more assists.
Lets hope that Latte Lath can keep fit and he gets a suitable mate alongside him.
Neutrals watching this game will have enjoyed the game and maybe thought a draw would have been fair.
As a Boro supporter the penalty was a reckless challenge, the second goal the defenders switched off and Dieng could have done more. The third goal showed the speed of attacking by Leeds - although replays showed the goal was just offside.
Second half and Leeds got their tactics right - let Boro have the ball, get their players behind the ball and wait for the counter attack. This accounted for their 4 th goal.
Overall, the game demonstrated their much stronger squad - to see this you only had to look at the benches. Leeds clearly have much more speedy attackers.
For Boro, they gave it a go and Latte Lath scored 2 excellent goals. I think he can only get better and he can become the star of the team next season.
I think the home crowd will have been disappointed with the result but overall happy with the performance.
Philip from Huddersfield
ps The locals here have accepted relegation and not looking forward to going to eg Mansfield etc.
Sounded like a really exciting game listening on Tees. Looking forward to the highlights later today. With his goals tonight LL has scored 9 in the last 10 games. He is now on 0.66 goals per 90 minutes, Chuba last season was 0.76 per 90 and Archer 0.64 per 90. So if he replicated that over a full season thats 30 goals. Compared to Chuba he scores goals both home and away 7/7 whilst Chuba only scored 8 away from home and 20 at home. LL has only played the equivalent of 21 games this season as he has been injured and was on the bench earlier in the season.
Meant to add about the benches tonight. What reasoning can anyone think of for naming two keepers on the bench, and there are also players who have been on loan in the National league who could have been included as their season finished on Saturday. Compare with the Leeds bench which had players who have scored 32 goals this season, ours had 1 goal, Bangura. So given that 3-4 is not a bad result.
@mw-in-darwin About the two keepers on the bench, take a good look at the bench, the only two that could be considered first team players were Barlaser and Bangura who both came on. So who do you consider was missing out!, before you say Engel he was missing for personal reasons, maybe the second keeper was there to experience match day squad as part of his development with the other 4 youngsters on the bench.
Come on BORO.
Proud of the boys tonight, didn't back off and had a go ,
After fifteen minutes I commented this ref is out of touch,and will ruin this game