BBC Sport pundit Jermaine Jenas was impressed with Leeds United both with 10 and 11 men during the 0-0 draw with Aston Villa. The Whites were forced to play just shy of half a game a man light following Luis Sinisterra’s red card just four minutes after the break.
In what was a largely stop-start affair during the first half, Leeds created the better openings of the two teams with Rodrigo Moreno twice going close. But Jesse Marsch’s side were forced to show a different side of their game in the second 45 minutes after going down to 10.
Leeds moved to a back five and while Villa did create two or three good chances, the Whites defended well to earn a hard-fought point. Speaking on Match of the Day 2, Jenas believes there were a lot of promising signs from Leeds and says it is clear to see the players are taking Marsch’s messages on board.
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“I think so, given their turnaround as well in the summer, with some of their really important players that they’ve missed, I watched a team that was playing with a lot of confidence when they had 11 players on the pitch in that first half. In particular down the left-hand side creating a lot of chances.
“I still think that is an area of concern, when the ball goes into that six-yard box, everything leading up to it is really special to see. Rodrigo nearly gets on the end of that one [Sinisterra cross]. Sinisterra looks like a lively player, I know he got sent off today, but everything down the left-hand side and the way they were knitting things together.
“Lovely little movements, Rodrigo - we know what he can do with that left foot. But then I was probably more impressed when they went down to 10 men. It tells you a lot about a team, we’ve all been in that situation, and it tells you whether you’re together as a team or whether you’re going to crumble.
“Villa did have their chances, but I saw a lot of grit, determination, players coming out for huge blocks, not dropping too deep when they were under pressure. That tells you that the messages Jesse Marsch is putting across are correct. If they can get Bamford fit he’s a threat, knows where the back of the net is. All in all, a lot of good signs from Leeds, I really enjoyed watching them play today.”
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