Leeds 1 Milan 1: Lucas Perri the new No 1 but Jack Harrison is booed again

New York Times

2 days ago

Leeds United concluded their preparations for the 2025-26 Premier League season with a draw against Milan in Dublin. Anton Stach stole the show for Daniel Farke's side, topping a superb individual performance with a gorgeous long-range strike.
The Germany international's effort, curled into the far corner from around 25 yards out, came midway through the second half as Leeds chased the game.
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Milan had taken a first-half lead through Santiago Gimenez. The Mexico international was free at the back post to drive the ball into the roof of debutant Lucas Perri's net after good work by Noah Okafor and Samuel Chukwueze down the left flank.
It was an even game and a good final test for Leeds before they confront Everton on August 18. The Athletic's Beren Cross was in Dublin to take in the match at Aviva Stadium.
Two weeks after his move from Lyon, Perri made his Leeds debut in Dublin. Most intriguingly, the Brazilian wore the No 1 shirt with its previous owner not even included in the squad.
Meslier was conspicuous by his absence from the travelling party in Ireland and if Perri's mere arrival did not signal the end of the Frenchman's career at the club, the teamsheet in Dublin did. Perri played the first 45 minutes before being replaced by Karl Darlow.
Perri arrived with some minor fitness issues, which is why Farke was probably being cautious with his minutes. There was one notably calm catch under a high ball, as well as a throw launched into Milan's half which set up Wilfried Gnonto on the counter.
There will be a tinge of sadness for some at the prospect of Meslier moving on after six years of ups and downs in West Yorkshire, but it does feel the right time for him to sample a new environment and reset his career.
'We have decided, today, just to play two goalkeepers and, for that, it was then not necessary for him to travel with us,' said Daniel Farke of Meslier's absence. 'Karl is in the pecking order ahead of him because Karl had a fantastic finish to last season and also a really good pre-season.
'Lucas is also a player who is likely to play a role for us and, for that, we decided to give him the No 1 shirt. It's not a decision against Illan; it's more a decision for the confidence of Lucas, to make him welcome and also to show why we've signed him.'
The Harrison situation is not going away.
He was denied an Elland Road homecoming last weekend, but the vast majority of the 50,000-strong crowd at the Aviva Stadium left the winger — who spent the last two seasons on loan at Everton — in no doubt as to his current standing.
Harrison was pointedly booed as he warmed up on the touchline in the second half. When he came on, predictably, it grew worse. There was the cacophony of disapproval as he jogged on for Gabriel Gudmundsson; then every subsequent touch received the same treatment.
It must be said, there was one dribble which drew rebellious support from some corners of the Leeds fans.
Everyone knew this would not be an ideal situation as he returned from two years on Merseyside. But, until Leeds can either bring in a new winger or receive some meaningful offers for him, theirs is an uncomfortable marriage of convenience.
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Farke took the time to give Harrison some post-match one-to-one coaching — the kind we have seen him deliver to his players in the past — so he is very much part of the group. But, even if the manager has been diplomatic in his comments up to now, if Harrison remains at the club beyond September 1, this is going to become an unwelcome distraction.
'This (booing) was not a surprise,' said Farke post-match. 'It's quite normal and all supporters have a right to have an opinion.
'We had the situation also with other players who came back after a while away from the club. You have to convince everyone. In the stadium, if just one per cent or two per cent are booing, that means 1,000 voices and, of course, you hear it.
'I also liked the reaction of the other percentage. Whenever he touched the ball, they clapped their hands to give some support.
'It's still up to Jack to win everyone over and to show commitment, to show desire, to show good performances.'
The quantity of midfield additions made this summer, together with the money forked out, always posed the question of what Farke may do in the engine room. Captain Ethan Ampadu is a given as a starter, but there was a debate on who could partner him against Everton.
Stach, signed from Hoffenheim this summer, showed the quality against Villarreal last weekend to suggest he might have nudged ahead for second pick. This run-out left that in no doubt. He was outstanding against Milan.
The German put in the complete performance, topped with a stunning, curled goal from 25 yards out. Stach is an all-action box-to-box midfielder who makes intelligent runs, tackles, shoots, passes between the lines and provides an aerial threat too.
Tanaka got the nod over Sean Longstaff, who would have come to Leeds hoping to start more often than not next season, in Dublin. That may be because his incisive passing could be better suited to dominating Everton at Elland Road a week on Monday.
We will see who ends up being Farke's preferred three, but this selection seemed to point to Ampadu, Stach and Tanaka on August 18.
Jayden Bogle's ongoing absence at right-back meant Schmidt started for the second weekend in a row. However, he picked up in Dublin from where he left off at Elland Road; this was a difficult afternoon for the Swiss international.
The 25-year-old needed more help from Daniel James on that flank and was exposed at times, but should have done better in some of his duels. If Farke wants his full-backs to invert and attack in the way Schmidt did, he needs to find a stronger structure for filling in behind him.
Schmidt often stayed narrow when Leeds were out of possession — which is not necessarily the wrong decision but it gave Milan's left-sided players an ocean of space in which to attack. Time and time again, it was that space that Milan exploited.
The No 33 struggled when they dribbled at him and appeared nervous. If Bogle does not recover in time for Everton on August 18, the experienced Byram may well be the safer stand-in.
After the game, Farke said he hoped to have Bogle and Sebastiaan Bornauw back in training next week in the days ahead of Everton. However, he also noted the crucial fortnight of preparation Bogle had missed with his hip flexor issue.
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