We begin our weekend pre-season friendly round-up with three winless contests involving Premier League clubs.
There are updates to report on £4.0m picks from Leeds United and Burnley, while Fulham lost a two-hour-long kickabout with Sheffield United.
LEEDS UNITED 1-1 VILLARREAL
- Goal: Piroe
- Assist: Aaronson
INJURY UPDATES ON PERRI, BOGLE AND MORE
Last weekend’s signing of Lucas Perri (£4.5m) seemed to sound the death knell for Karl Darlow (£4.0m) as an FPL pick.
But in Saturday’s friendly with Villarreal, the new Leeds ‘keeper was nowhere to be seen.
Don’t get too excited, though, Darlow fans, as Perri shouldn’t be sidelined for too long.
“Lucas Perri is building his fitness. Lucas needs a bit of time in training. We’re convinced he’ll be a perfect addition for our squad.
“I’m pretty sure if there’s no setback he definitely has a chance. If we can involve him for the Milan game, it would be good.” – Daniel Farke, via the Yorkshire Post
Also missing this penultimate friendly were last season’s six-goal defender Jayden Bogle (£4.5m) and wingers Daniel James (£5.5m) and Jack Harrison (£5.5m).
“Daniel James had a slight problem during the week and we didn’t want to risk him.
“Jack… is right now struggling with a few adductor problems, has had a scan and we wait for that outcome. We hope it’s just a few days that he will miss and hope to have him available, hopefully for the Milan game.” – Daniel Farke, via Leeds Live
“It’s a hip flexor, and that’s a bit of a concern if I’m honest, because I am not sure if I have him available for our game against AC Milan. I hope to have him available for our last week of pre-season because he’s an important player for us.” – Daniel Farke on Jayden Bogle, via Leeds LIve
FOURTH PRE-SEASON GOAL FOR PIROE
Wilfriend Gnonto (£5.5m) and, in an unusual right-wing role, Brendan Aaronson (£5.5m) instead started on the flanks in the absence of James and Harrison.
Aaronson was surprisingly decent on the right. It was from his cross, miscleared by the visitors, that Joel Piroe (£5.5m) pounced to score.
There are still reservations about Piroe’s wider game, no more so than from some sections of the Leeds support. Not physical enough, not quick enough, not good enough to lead the line in the Premier League – so say the critics. Yet still he keeps popping up with poacher’s goals. This was his fourth of the summer and came after he replaced positional rival Lukas Nmecha (£5.0m) at half-time.
Leeds may yet sign someone who is an upgrade on Piroe – check out Farke’s quote below on the front three in general – but until then, he’s doing his utmost to make that Gameweek 1 line-up.
“I think it was also obvious to see that we need to do something in the offence, there’s no doubt about this.” – Daniel Farke
Leeds in general struggled to create too much, but they were up against a side in next season’s UEFA Champions League.
Anton Stach (£5.0m) did impress in the middle of the park. The central midfielder, who has the potential to rack up the defensive contribution points, also whipped a cross-shot free-kick narrowly wide on the cusp of half-time.
The contribution of Bogle’s stand-in, Issac Schmidt (£4.0m), was less positive. Other than him (Bogle will come back in if fit), the defence that started against Villarreal will likely do so against Everton.
Leeds United XI: Darlow (Meslier 46), Schmidt (Byram 63), Rodon, Struijk (Bijol 46), Gudmundsson, Ampadu, Longstaff (Gruev 46), Stach (Tanaka 63), Gnonto (Ramazani 63), Nmecha (Piroe 46), Aaronson (Gray 81).
STOKE CITY 1-0 BURNLEY
CANCELLED FRIENDLY
Not ideal preparations all round for Burnley this weekend. As well as succumbing to a 1-0 defeat to Championship side Stoke City, they had a second friendly pulled late on due to the off-the-field issues of scheduled opponents Sheffield Wednesday.
In the end, the squad members who didn’t feature in the Stoke game had to content themselves with an in-house kickabout. Little information has emerged from that.
“We had a game planned today against Sheffield Wednesday which didn’t take place and we were going to split the squads.
“I just felt the best way to go was an in-house game with two strong-ish teams at the training ground, which I was at this morning, which went really, really well. We then came here [to Stoke] with a bit more of a flat squad with a lot of young players.
“The positive at the end of today, yes we’re disappointed we lost, but the positives are that the majority of the squad – which is very bloated, like we know – has got a number of minutes under their belt. A majority got 90 and that puts us in good stead.” – Scott Parker, via Burnley Express
BRUUN LARSEN ‘OOP’, DEFENCE FIRST
The side that took to the field at the bet365stadium looked Gameweek 1-ish. There are obvious voids to fill in the transfer market, particularly up front, where ‘out of position’ midfielder Jacob Bruun Larsen (£5.5m) was looking quite forlorn. Armando Broja is reportedly on his way to plug that gap, with last year’s line-leader Zian Flemming (£5.5m) still sidelined. Another striking option, Lyle Foster (£5.0m), was involved in the day’s earlier game.
Josh Cullen (£5.0m), who was on corner-taking duty, also needs a midfield partner with Josh Brownhill gone. Josh Laurent (£5.0m), sent off here on the hour, is probably not that man.
The Clarets laboured in attack, with Jaidon Anthony (£5.5m) wasteful, but it was better at the back. That was pretty much the story of last season, too.
Hjalmar Ekdal (£4.0m) appears to be at the front of the queue to be Maxime Esteve‘s (£4.0m) partner at centre-half. The Swede, loaned out last season, nearly scored from a corner.
Pick of the bunch though were the two full-backs, with Kyle Walker (£4.5m) a class apart, even at 35, and Quilindschy Hartman (£4.0m) getting forward plenty from left-back.
Burnley XI: Weiß, Walker (Blackie 77), Ekdal, Esteve, Hartman, Cullen (Veevers 83), Laurent, Hannibal, Anthony, Bruun Larsen (Westley 77), Edwards.
FULHAM 2-3 SHEFFIELD UNITED
- Goals: Smith Rowe, Jimenez
- Assists: Sessegnon, Pereira
While most other clubs are throwing open their doors to the watching public, Fulham are still keeping things hush-hush.
The Cottagers were involved in a 120-minute-long game against Sheffield United on Saturday, which played out at their Motspur Park training ground.
With no video footage or journalists present, we’re going purely off the official match report. Even that was lacking in line-up information.
Emile Smith Rowe (£6.0m) bagged his third goal of pre-season for the game’s opener, with the newly reclassified midfielder Ryan Sessegnon (£5.5m) claiming the assist with a backheel.
Raul Jimenez (£6.5m), who had a later return to west London after his involvement with Mexico in June, opened his account for the summer and made it 2-1 by heading in Andreas Pereira‘s (£5.5m) corner.
The Blades twice equalised from the spot before grabbing a winner in the ‘extra time’ period of this kickabout.
Jorge Cuenca (£4.5m), Alex Iwobi (£6.5m) and Martial Godo (£4.5m) all hit the woodwork but little else was known from this behind-closed-doors contest.
