Leeds United rivals sent ‘so fast’ warning.
Dan Barlaser, who plays for Middlesbrough, admits that it can be challenging to cope with Leeds’ expansive style of play.
Daniel Farke knows Leeds United’s strengths down the wing, but if he needed more proof of the Whites’ strength in the wider areas, then all he needed to do was watch Middlesbrough’s reaction to Saturday’s 3-2 home defeat.
Daniel James and Crysania Summerville were on target in the first seven minutes of the second half, with the hosts responding to an early opener from Adama Traore-Lath with two goals of their own.
Joel Piroe’s penalty gave Leeds the lead, but Boro hit back with a goal from Latte- Lath to make it 2-2 at half-time.
In the second half, Bor played with ten men following the dismissal of Dijksteel, but, in truth, it was Leeds who continually threatened to take the lead. James’s goal took his season total to six, while Summerville’s was his eighth of the season for Leeds.
They have beaten off competition from Italy striker Willy Gnotta and Bournemouth wing-back Jaidon Antony to take their place in the starting line-up, as Farke’s Leeds United XI takes shape after a turbulent summer ahead.
“It was hard to cope with Leeds’ speed in the wide areas,” Barlaser, now a full-back at Middlesbrough, said after Saturday’s game. “It wasn’t just the front three, though. It was the full-backs too.”
The speed with which they’ve gone out wide makes it difficult to double it because they’re so good at getting it there, Barlaser added.
“I thought we handled it pretty well though, especially with ten men, and I think we could have probably won with the opportunities we had, so we’re disappointed we didn’t.”
We are disappointed that we are not getting something out of this game. We had ten minutes of stoppage time that cost us two goals. That was a crazy ten minutes. But that’s what they do to you, because they have great attacking players. They scored a second goal just before the half time to get us back in the game. We started the second half very well, but we were down to 10 men.
