Leeds United winger Jack Harrison praised the attitude of his teammates as they continued to develop Jesse March’s ‘complex system’ in the narrow defeat to Aston Villa. Steven Gerrard’s side won 1-0 after a second-half penalty from Danny Ings, although the game was marred by a nasty-looking injury to Archie Gray amid a host of strong tackles.
The second game of the Whites tour of Australia saw the majority of the starting lineup - including Patrick Bamford - manage 60 minutes in a match that was anything but friendly. Historical needle between the two sides continued throughout the game and came to a head when John McGinn’s strong challenge on Gray forced the 16-year-old off in tears on a stretcher.
There was an improvement compared to the tour opener against Brisbane, especially against superior opposition, with Brenden Aaronson, Tyler Adams and Rasmus Kristensen impressing on the right side. And Harrison praised the attitude of the whole team as they continued to develop Marsch’s philosophy.
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“ It was a great experience being out here playing against a tough side who challenged us.” Harrison told LUTV . “Unfortunate with the result but it was a good challenge for us and good to get some game time in.
“I think for the new guys it can be quite difficult to play in quite a complex system that Jesse’s trying to create, but everyone’s got a great attitude, trying to incorporate the right tactics and Villa challenged us with our defensive tactics today.
“A good challenge and good to get the time in to work on those little details.”
Nearly 40,000 fans were packed into the Suncorp Stadium to watch their team, be it Leeds or Villa, creating a vibrant atmosphere - although the pitch lacked the Premier League quality, having hosted the State of Origin rugby league series.
Harrison admitted he was surprised by the fervent support, adding: “It was fantastic. 40,000 I wasn’t expecting but it's great to see the support that we have out here.”
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