Roy Hodgson salutes 'expansive' Leeds United but outlines counteract blueprint and slams 'pet hate' shown by Whites

The Whites headed to Old Trafford for their 2021-22 Premier League opener having impressed in their top-flight return as head coach Marcelo Bielsa's swashbuckling style yielded a ninth-placed finish.

Leeds, though, were swept aside 5-1 by Ole Gunnar Solskaer's Red Devils who caused chaos in midfield and brought up a nap hand of goals via a hat-trick from Bruno Fernandes plus strikes from Mason Greenwood and Fred.

"This is an expansive game," said former England boss Hodgson on Premier League Publications

"Leeds are an expansive team, they can cause you a lot of problems with their expansive play.

"But if you are able to deal with their play and get control of the ball, if you can get turned as often as they did, there was some fantastic play from the midfield players when they were being fed the ball, getting turned with the ball and then attacking that space in front of the back four.

"If you have got the ability to do that then you find Pogba on the ball behind your midfield, you find Fernandes behind the midfield and you start to worry because if they are going to make the runs they did the ball is going to be fed in.

"Then you just hope I suppose that if you give them that amount of chances that they are going to miss them but they didn't look like missing."

Hodgson was also particularly irked at one piece of Whites defending for the second Fernandes goal.

New Leeds recruit Junior Firpo attempted to block Fernandes but kept his hands behind his back, a measure often used by players to prevent any sort of risk of handballing.

Hodgson added: "One of the goals really highlights one of my pet hates and that's the one that Fernandes scores which is allowed on the goal line technology rule.

"Seeing the defender who is trying to defend him with his hands behind his back, that really does drive me crazy.

"I do not understand how we can expect defenders to defend and to keep their balance if they are running with their hands behind their back."

https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/sport/football/leeds-united/yorkshire-evening-post-launch-leeds-united-only-digital-subscription-ahead-premier-league-campaign-2967964

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Thank you Laura Collins