Micah Richards criticises 'sloppy' Leeds United as Championship promotion prediction made
Leeds United kicked off their 2024/25 Championship campaign with a dramatic draw against Portsmouth.
Micah Richards believes Leeds United can achieve promotion at the second time of asking despite ‘sloppy’ moments during Saturday’s 3-3 draw against Portsmouth.
Leeds kicked off their 2024/25 campaign in typically chaotic fashion, relying on Brenden Aaronson’s 95th-minute effort to salvage a first point of the season. Daniel Farke’s side hit the woodwork three times in the opening exchanges and looked on course for a commanding win when Pascal Struijk scored from the spot, but defensive lapses proved costly as Pompey scored twice before half-time.
Wilfried Gnonto pulled his side level but more sloppy defending saw Jayden Bogle concede an added-time penalty, which Callum Lang stroked home before Aaronson’s equaliser. Portsmouth’s first and third goals were entirely avoidable but Richards is backing Leeds to cut out the errors and go one better than last season’s play-off final defeat.
“I think Leeds. The way Leeds play is aggressive, it’s very attacking,” Richards told The Rest Is Football. “I watched the highlights of the game yesterday and they dominated the early parts and then they just gave away, sloppy, sloppy goals. They had a chance to win it and make it 4-3 with the last kick of the game, Aaronson went one on one with the goalkeeper and slotted it wide. If Leeds can stop the rot at the back, I think Leeds will do it.”
Farke was keen to stress he was ‘not angry’ at the nature of Saturday’s result, but did not hide away from his side’s mistakes in ‘small situations’ that proved costly. Right-back Bogle was caught out of position for Pompey’s opener and then got caught for the late penalty, while Joe Rodon was uncharacteristically sloppy in possession and Illan Meslier allowed a powerful strike to go straight through him.
Leeds could well have been 4-0 up by that point, having seen Gnonto, Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev smash the woodwork before Struijk scored from the spot. Chances then came and went for Mateo Joseph and Patrick Bamford before Aaronson missed a huge opportunity to make it 4-3 after equalising, hooking his effort wide after going through on goal.
“We started so much on the front foot, one of the best first 20 minutes I've seen at Elland Road, hit the crossbar three times, the game should be buried,” Farke said after the result. “You can't play that dominant over 90 minutes or you'd win 22-0 and this never happens.
“You have to be a bit smarter when the game calms down, I wouldn't say we were arrogant but gave two unnecessary set pieces away. Free-kick comes in, you clear the first ball, organisation for the second [ball] was not perfect and we concede a goal. Normally from 20 strikes 19 times it never goes in. But then you can't explain why, you concede two goals from just two strikes on target and you have a mountain to climb."