The man of the hour, Aaronson starts! Leeds hosting Tottenham. Need to make these home matches count.
Aaronson played very well in the first half. Had a shot saved that was immediately put in by Okafor to tie it up 1-1. Had some pretty good possession and transition moments, including a few nice through balls down the wing. Was his general pesky self on defense and work rate. Also drew a yellow card. He is missing that last bit of production to make him a truly excellent player, but he is a very, very good one. He’s a player that if he were on the other team you’d be happy when he gets subbed out, and I think that’s a strong compliment.
Aaronson 1 v 1 with keeper and keeper deflected it wide. Was not a great shot, unfortunately. Dangz..
Aaronson came off at 66' as part of a double substitution, Leeds trailing 1-0, now down 2-0. Edit: Finished Burnley 2-0 Leeds
IMO, BA had a great chance to score, but shot it straight at the keeper. Wonder if this will finally drop BA to the bench - which is what Leeds fans probably want.
4 - So much defensive work, so little attacking output. Too weak on the ball too often. Failed to take a golden first half chance. Brenden Aaronson – given a really good chance to equalise, he allowed Maritn Dubravka to save 5
The game was away and Burnley have now taken 7 points from their 4 home games (their only loss was a 1-0 against Liverpool, with them conceding in the 95th minute). Losing isn't great but it wasn't entirely unexpected either. On top of which, Leeds were utterly dominant - 70% possession, 19 shots vs 4, 17 shots inside box vs 1, XG of 2.65 vs 0.46, etc. - but couldn't convert their chances. Farke was pretty sanguine after the game: "You can't have better statistics than we did today in an away game in the Premier League. When Liverpool, Arsenal, Man City travel here even they won't have better statistics. We won each and every statistic but in football it is also just about goals. . . Performance-wise I can't complain but this is how football works. "First game after the international break with so many offensive players out to be so dominant, I didn't expect this but the players have delivered it. If Leeds keep playing like they did yesterday, they'll be OK
It's so fascinating how weak the guy is on the ball. I get he's smaller but geez.. so often he falls down so easily.
I still say he needs to really watch other similar sized guys who know "how" to fall and get more calls. Every latin team from Italy to Mexico to Argentina knows how to position and fall to get those calls.
he has such great intensity and grit and endurance. but there is something mental going on where he cannot convert the chances he receives. if he does not get that fixed - he simply will not last long in EPL - or anywhere else in Europe. that was a gilt edged chance and his team needed him badly to convert. I would expect to see him go to the bench now.
I didn't watch this specific game but have seen him play a massive amount of times. Saw him a few weeks ago vs Bournemouth and he was weak on the ball as is typical for him. Just a reality.. But to answer your question. No, I didnt watch that specific game but was commenting on the posters comment about it.
He’s already been in Europe for 5 years so I don’t think that’s true. The issue isn’t mental, it’s technical. His technique has always been poor - his pass completion rates throughout most of his career have been abysmal. He’s a high-energy player, not a finesse one. The problem for him, then, is what happens once he ages. He doesn’t seem like a player who will have much value at 30, or if he suffers an injury that robs him of even 5% of his stamina.
yes and that thing is, he isn't good enough to be a top player. It's pretty much that simple. (I still think he is useful for the USA)
Not sure I buy this. His passing and shooting technique aren’t great, but they’re not subpar either, solid top 4 league level. And he needs more power to the shot once he gets the technique. What he does have is a very particular set of technical skills, skills he’s acquired throughout his career, skills that make players like him a nightmare for defenders all over. He’s very good at keeping possession in tight spaces, dribbling free, being able to see potential passes while doing so, and his half turns are great. These are skills we don’t have much of in the USMNT.
He's an upgraded Paul Arriola. You have to watch them on your team in person for a season or two to really appreciate. Oh there are faults and the misses can be exasperating but the work ethic and hunting players with the ball is something very few players excel at like those two.
Brenden, like Paul Arriola, is very popular with his teammates (both club and country). I think Arriola actually had more dribbling skills than Aaronson. But Aaronson is more effective in more areas overall.
Who, Aaronson? There is room for both for Roldan and Aaronson. I might be in the minority here, but I thought Roldan played well last window.
All three of those guys are in the category of if their weaknesses were 5% better, they'd be world beaters because their strengths are so skewed.