Leeds United 6-2 Cagliari
Leeds gave their fans a reason to be cheerful on Sunday night as they cruised to a 6-2 win over Italian side Cagliari in a club friendly at Elland Road.
Rodrigo scored a hat-trick, Patrick Bamford bagged a brace and Robin Koch got in on the act with a well-aimed header as Leeds blew their visitors away.
It was the last pre-season game for Jesse Marsch’s men before the Premier League kicks off next weekend and while there was plenty for the boss to be pleased about he still needs to strengthen in the transfer market before the Whites meet Wolves in their first game on Saturday. It’s a mouth-watering opener and one we will, of course, be previewing and reporting on here at SBOTOP.
Cagliari were relegated from Serie A last term and the club friendly 2022 betting odds favoured Leeds, who can expect much tougher opposition with Wolves, Southampton and Chelsea the first three fixtures to come in the Premier League. The Whites were impressive going forward but were caught out twice in defence and they will need to tighten up to avoid the string of heavy defeats they suffered in the 2021/22 campaign.
Sunday’s result will be a confidence-booster for sure after a mixed set of club friendly 2022 results and performances on Leeds’ pre-season tour of Australia, and the way the Whites sliced open the Cagliari defence with quick passages of play and insightful running off the ball was good to see. Leeds’ counter-pressing worked well too, turning over possession in the Cagliari half numerous times throughout the game.
The team looks almost ready but Marsch wants to strengthen further before the transfer window closes at the end of August: “We want to make some more additions and we have targets,” he said. “We wanted this last week to evaluate things and then to be prudent on our future decisions. Hopefully this week we’ll make some final decisions and make some final moves.”
Bamford and Rodrigo can score the goals
The absence of star striker Patrick Bamford for much of last season damaged Leeds’ chances significantly and his return is a major boost. Bamford has said he is in a much better place both physically and mentally since his return and he looked back to his best at times on Sunday, growing sharper as the game wore on and he was a constant threat in and around the penalty area.
Strike partner Rodrigo took the headlines with a hat-trick and the 31-year-old Spanish international was imperious on Sunday. He sometimes overplays but when he is on his best form Rodrigo can be unplayable, and Marsch will hope he can get double figures from both his main strikers this season.
New recruit Brenden Aaronson also impressed at Elland Road, linking up well and playing out wide to allow Rodrigo to take a more central role. I think we’ll see more of the same on Saturday.
Marsch needs to strengthen in defence
While it’s difficult to be too critical of the Whites’ performance against Cagliari, the way they let their visitors in for two goals on the break was a worrying feature; and it’s something Marsch will want to address sooner rather than later. The pre-season betting odds suggest the Whites should have enough to survive again this term and, if they can be as effective in defence as they are in attack then they can do more than that, and aim for a repeat of their top half finish in 2021.
Of the new boys, right-back Rasmus Kristensen has been outstanding in pre-season and he was excellent again on Sunday. On his Elland Road debut he showed poise on the ball, and he’s strong in the tackle and is a threat going forward, linking up well with Aaronson down the flank. But he did look slightly vulnerable to the counter at times. On the other side Pascal Struijk filled in at left-back but he isn’t a natural there and that’s a position Marsch will look to strengthen.
The loss of Kalvin Phillips to Manchester City and Raphinha to Barcelona has left two big gaps and while Aaronson has added to Leeds’ creative muscle, the support which Phillips provided to the defence has been invaluable in the past. I’m not convinced Marsch has solved that problem yet, though Marc Roca is more than willing to put his foot in.
But the Premier League is what it’s all about and when Leeds meet Wolves next Saturday they need to be ready. Keep the fast flowing, attacking football going and tighten up the defence and the Whites will be just fine.
●●●
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FOOTBALL STORIES & ODDS
Stay updated with everything sports and betting.
Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
