Elland Road becomes unlikely battleground as Whites show quality - Joe Donnohue's Verdict on Leeds United friendly win

A mid-season friendly in December between Leeds United and Real Sociedad pitted, as one might expect thanks to their Basque Country visitors, several of Busquets' compatriots against one another. On a bitterly cold evening, unlike the sunnier climes of Zubieta, famed for producing the likes of Xabi Alonso, Manchester City director of football Txiki Begiristain and current La Real boss Imanol Alguacil, Leeds' own candidate to live up to Busquets' sizeable Iberian footprint, Marc Roca, took to the field from the start.

With the added benefit of six months in English football, and two years spent largely in Bayern Munich's Säbener Strasse gymnasium, it is little surprise that Roca is a blunter instrument, bludgeoned and buffed by the more physical, transitional game he has encountered in Germany and England.

In the opposing XI at Elland Road, stood Roca's international competitors: Igor Zubeldia and Martin Zubimendi, both La Real academy graduates. Earlier this week, new Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente, who led Roca, Zubeldia and uninvolved-on-the-night lynchpin Mikel Merino to Under-21 European Championships glory in 2019, curiously name-checked the uncapped Leeds man, in the discussion surrounding Busquets' heir. De la Fuente also referenced by name 23-year-old Zubimendi and the 'stratospheric' Rodri of Manchester City, proving Roca will need to do more than count on his prior relationship with the bespectacled 61-year-old De la Fuente to win a first cap.

Leeds' second friendly against LaLiga opposition this month promised a sterner test than their first on paper at least. Friday's friendly followed a 2-1 victory over Elche in which Leeds were wholly unconvincing against the side who have accrued four points from 14 matches in Spain's top flight this season. Real Sociedad on the other hand, lie third in LaLiga, behind only Barcelona and Real Madrid, and it threatened to show inside ten minutes.

Brais Mendez turned the screw early on, curling an accurate free-kick onto the head of Zubimendi whose guided effort beat Joel Robles all ends up. Fortunately for Jesse Marsch, La Real were only in front for a few short minutes, before Roca cushioned a dropping ball into the path of an onrushing Pascal Struijk. The Dutchman struck hard, arrowing into the far corner to level proceedings in what was the final notable moment of the first half, on 16 minutes.

Consequently, there was plenty of opportunity to gawp at Real Sociedad's David Silva, currently enjoying an Indian summer in Donostia. Perhaps the closest to Busquets' throne in years gone by, purely in terms of talent rather than stylistic similarity, was La Real's No. 21 on Friday night, the jewel in their crown, the four-time Premier League winner, central to Spain's success at Euro 2008 and Euro 2012.

If Leeds' sole Spanish midfield representative was keen to learn from anybody, there could hardly be a better individual to aspire to than the ex-Manchester City man, who strolled through the opening 45 minutes, still influential, but not exactly game-breaking. He offered glimpses into the past, with neat trickery and gorgeous footwork in tight spaces which ultimately came to nothing.

Willy Gnonto on the other hand proved a real thorn in La Real's side. A late addition to the starting XI after Jack Harrison withdrew complaining of 'tightness', Gnonto's direct running, bustling dribbling and an ability to protect the ball which belies his age, repeatedly caused problems. Unsurprisingly, the teenage Italian was involved in Leeds' winner, offering a wide option for Struijk who robbed his man in the centre of the park, momentarily checked the legality of his intervention with the referee, before finding Gnonto. He found Gelhardt, who in turn weighted a delightful outside-of-the-boot through ball which Rodrigo eventually stroked past La Real 'keeper Alex Remiro.

With half an hour remaining, the Whites defended resolutely and shuffled their pack, adding youngsters Mateo Joseph, Darko Gyabi and Sonny Perkins into the equation. Despite the young side Marsch entrusted with finishing the game, Leeds looked relatively comfortable, which has rarely been the case this season. Admittedly, La Real were missing a number of key players, but so were Leeds, and their Basque opponents could equally have shown the same hunger and desire, but didn't.

Real Sociedad - or 'The Royal Society' - have been Kingmakers of several established and decorated players, including consecutive World Cup finalist Antoine Griezmann, numerous Spain internationals and countless Basque Country icons. At Elland Road, La Real and their midfield gave Luis de la Fuente a yard-stick to measure Marc Roca's development since their last professional encounter almost four summers ago; a 60-minute test he largely passed.

For now, Roca remains uncapped, but on this unlikeliest of battlegrounds, the 26-year-old did little to harm his chances of reuniting with his former Under-21 head coach. Meanwhile, Marsch will have taken encouragement from victory against Spain's third-best team currently, as well as the performances of several players slowly regaining match fitness, less than two weeks out from Manchester City's arrival at Elland Road.