Manchester United 1-1 Leeds United: Too friendly

Here was the latest trial of a testing summer. Name a boundary, and football has been pushing at it these last few months. The World Cup with its hydration breaks and red cards that weren't, followed by a commercially driven tour of the USA for Leeds United and a big party for Red Bull back at Elland Road. It will almost be a relief to hear the Premier League anthem.

Now this question, although it's not a new one. How do we feel about taking our bitterest, longest lasting rivalry and turning it into a pre-season show of friendliness for one and all?

The rot started back in August 1994, when Leeds lowered themselves to visiting Vale Park, home of the despicable club that lobbied behind the scenes to take Leeds City's place in the Football League back in 1919 and should never be forgiven. A 3-3 draw settled nothing and satisfied nobody, and a precedent was set. If Leeds could play 'friendly' matches with Port Vale, who couldn't they meet for a fun and sun kickabout?

Despite taking place more than thirty summers ago, that match did not end with hordes of vengeful Leedsistas dismantling 'the Wembley of the North' from within. Decades of simply being home to Port Vale had already ruined what was once a charming clay pit in Burslem anyway. But nor did it end with excited children sprinting on the pitch with disposable cameras, eager to take photos of themselves with Lee Glover or Robin van der Laan. 

That's what brought this week's friendly in Dublin, between Leeds United and secondary rivals Manchester United, to an early close. The relaxed bonhomie of the unsegregated crowd got too much for some youngsters, who started running on to get selfies with Bruno Fernandes. I hope that, since they saw him preen his penalty hilariously wide in the post-match shoot-out, they will always look at their pictures of him with shame and remorse, wishing they'd been around in the 1990s to get photos with respectable players like Nigel Worthington instead.

Leeds' manager Daniel Farke had turned away, tutting, before the referee made his mind up to blow up before the kindergarten could be cleared. That, and the penalty shoot-out to decide which team a betting company's execs should have their selfies with, was a suitably odd end to an odd fixture. 

Compared to touring the USA — which Premier League clubs have complained in the past is a money-loser — this felt like the right way to take the game overseas, if there is a right way. Football, and business and private equity and everyone, is obsessed with growth, with growing the game, with growing the revenue, with growing the audience. That's what sends Leeds and Wrexham, like missionaries, to an empty stadium in Tampa Bay to kick a ball about in front of a fervent handful. Having Messi on their doorstep has not got average Floridians thirsting for Kieffer Moore. But Croke Park in Dublin showed the benefit of reaping what has already grown, 82,000 people throwing money at two teams for tickets, drinks and merch. Maybe that will be Florida, one day. Maybe it doesn't need to be.

And maybe it shouldn't be this fixture, because a rivalry that tempted ITV into showing this game on terrestrial television doesn't make for a good friendly. This works as a grudge match when the white shirted players go hammering into the red shirted players and every tackle, shot and save resounds like a declaration of hate. Intensity is a prerequisite, as felt at Old Trafford in April. When we beat them. 

You can't manufacture that intensity, though, not even with your random betting sponsor's tin cup. What's a pre-season pot compared to Neil Warnock bellowing at his players, his voice cracking and squeaking, "You're fucking picking a wage up. That's a load of bollocks! You've got to fucking die to get three points!" Colin is far from my cup of tea, but he knew the difference when it came to his pre-season barbecues in Bodmin. You're just picking a wage up at that point because pre-season is a load of bollocks: so you might as well play Tavistock and Torquay. You're devaluing the passion if you're playing friendlies with Manchester United, or Port Vale, passion that still needs to be worth something when it is time to get three points.

The match suffered from those fuzzy expectations, the differing intensities and patched together second elevens. Manchester United started more seriously than Leeds United and spent the first half testing James Trafford, the topknot Nigel Martyn. Farke said he had to overrule his medical department to let Trafford make the debut he wanted, after just one training session, and it was worthwhile. He made some solid saves, came for some crosses, played out well with feet and throws, and let one in just to keep expectations in check. 

It was scored by Joshua Zirkzee but made by Bryan Mbeumo, who was their most dangerous player. He got Jaka Bijol over by the touchline beyond halfway, skipped past him, and had a whole half to run into. Square to Zirkzee, who swept in at the near post, first time. Bijol's business all the way up in the wrong half is one matter, but Leeds United's defence was being pulled out of line much nearer to goal, too, their opponents' quick interchanges between the penalty area and the Ao Tanaka, Sean Longstaff midfield making room for runs in on goal.

Leeds squared that off in the second half by bringing on Ethan Ampadu, Anton Stach, Joe Rodon and impressive youngster Alfie Cresswell. They didn't wait until the second half to equalise. Dan James, against the club that never deserved him, robbed Tyler Fletcher just outside his own area. James pulled defenders towards him, Lukas Nmecha took others away, and space opened up for Brenden Aaronson to take a pass, with a touch, and fire the ball in. 

Aaronson keeps making his claim for a new contract this pre-season, and he keeps using the word 'top' like someone's taught him some vaguely northern vocab for a bet. "From what I’ve seen he [James Trafford] is top," he said after this game. "He’s a top goalkeeper and we’re lucky to have him ... I think the preseason we have had has been top." Last week, about Tarik Muharemović, Brenden said, "Oh, he is top! Everything that I have seen so far — top." 

He's not wrong about Muharemović, who stood out again in the first half here. Harry Wilson, in the second half? Well, Wilf Gnonto was top! If Gnonto can knuckle down to defending like Jayden Bogle, like this, he could become first-choice right wing-back this season. The problem is that might be the last thing Wilf wants to be. What he could be, though, is our best penalty taker. In the shoot-out his was hammered into the top corner, sending me for a look back to when he did exactly the same, into the same unsaveable spot, to that brat goalie West Ham brought on in the FA Cup quarter-final.

Wilson, meanwhile, hasn't been anything much in pre-season since the first delicious touches against Wrexham, but it seems to just be a question of adapting. Leeds, when they look for him, often can't find him, but then he's rarely been sought by what we expect to be a first team line-up. 

Gnonto popped into him once, positively, from the right, and Wilson took that pass into the box and squared for Dominic Calvert-Lewin: only a decent interception from Leny Yoro, and the ball being a little behind big Dom, prevented that being their first happy link-up. It came moments after Noah Okafor had fully Mbeumo'd all the way down the left, also putting in a low cross towards Calvert-Lewin. Leeds, after a tepid first half, were giving as good as they got in a much changed but fairly dreary second.

All those changes — ten at half-time for Leeds — didn't make room for Joel Piroe, who after sitting through two hours of watching at the weekend stayed sat watching this. Sebastiaan Bornauw, on the other hand, who reports are saying wants to sign for Hamburg, was made to play the full ninety minutes. Maybe it's part of getting him ready for the Bundesliga. Maybe it was only a friendly and we shouldn't read too much into it. Maybe we should have put the players through a fearsome blood and thunder test against Port Vale instead. ⭑彡

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