Leeds United hero Tony Dorigo left fuming by ‘niggly’ Aston Villa draw
Leeds United were on the receiving end of some gamesmanship at the weekend and former White Tony Dorigo did not approve of the tactic.
Steven Gerrard’s Aston Villa came to Elland Road and looked to make the game a fight more than a match and it eventually worked to get Luis Sinisterra sent off.
They couldn’t go on to win the game though and Dorigo believes that Leeds United will be happy to take a point from such a different kind of game.
“What was interesting with this game was how clearly it was just a continuation of the game in pre-season out in Australia because that was a niggly, feisty little affair and it started in exactly the same way,” he said to the Yorkshire Evening Post.
“What Steven Gerrard and Gary McAllister certainly didn’t want was for the Elland Road fans and players to build up a head of speed or momentum with a quick start so they punctuated the game with painful bits of time wasting, which were plain for all to see.”
No excuses
Leeds can have absolutely no complaints about whatever tactics they think Gerrard and Aston Villa were looking to employ because they have not broken any rules at any stage.
Teams can play however they like which is often the beauty of football when two contrasting styles collide. Nobody tried to claim Stoke were ruining football games with their extremely direct approach under Tony Pulis back in the day.
So nobody should be complaining about Gerrard’s plan to disrupt the game because he is only trying to do what he thinks will give them the best chance of winning the game.
Marsch’s way of playing the game often relies on supreme fitness and relentless pressing which is difficult to put into action when the game is constantly stopping for either fouls or injuries.
But unless the referee has a word, Villa can do what they like and they won’t be deterred by this criticism and neither should they be.
In other Leeds United news, former White Kalvin Phillips could not resist the temptation to poke fun at this Elland Road favourite after what he posted on Instagram.