Ajax 4-0 Leeds: Player Ratings

A disappointing display from Leeds resulted in a convincing victory for Champions League regulars Ajax.

By Josh Ramsbottom@theleedsknees Aug 4, 2021, 9:11pm BST

Pre-Season Friendly”Ajax Amsterdam v Leeds United”

Leeds United suffered a discouraging 4-0 defeat at the hands of Ajax at the Johan Cruyff Arena this evening.

An error from Luke Ayling allowed ex-Manchester United player Davy Klaassen to open the scoring early on, before further poor defending saw Perr Schuurs double the hosts’ advantage.

There was little Leeds could do about Ryan Gravenberch’s long ranged screamer, although the Ajax man was afforded too much space by Robin Koch.

Danilo wrapped up the scoring with a late finish as a result of Koch’s poor pass to Jack Jenkins.

Here are the player ratings:

Illan Meslier - 6

Blackburn Rovers v Leeds United: Pre-Season Friendly

Ajax’s clinical finishing left Meslier with little to do. Distributed the ball well and saw plenty of the ball throughout the match. No major errors or moments of brilliance from the Frenchman.

Stuart Dallas - 7 (MOTM)

Started at left-back in the absence of Junior Firpo. Turned his man well on a couple of occasions on the left side and progressed the ball effectively. Underlapped well and offered himself further forward, but struggled to link up with Harrison.

Tested the goalkeeper in the second half with some good efforts from distance. Continued to contribute after moving into centre-mid; did well to intercept a ball from the goalkeeper and found Bamford with a cross, but the striker couldn’t direct his header goalwards.

Pascal Struijk - 6.5

Distributed the ball nicely but rarely tested defensively which limited his involvement. Was the target for set pieces but Ajax dealt well with that particular threat.

Luke Ayling - 5.5

Started at centre-back in place of Diego Llorente. A poor touch allowed Ajax to score a simple goal in the opening minutes. Positioned himself better later in the match to block shots on goal.

Jamie Shackleton (off 79’) - 6.5

Battled well throughout and got involved in the build-up play higher up the pitch, but gave too much space to attackers on occasion. Came off after a collision of heads later in the match.

Robin Koch - 6

Could be argued that he did as well as can be expected in the Phillips role, but Gravenberch was given too much space in the middle of the park by the German international ahead of the third goal. Otherwise knocked the ball around nicely and created one or two opportunities with some nice passes forward. A poor ball to Jenkins led to Ajax’s fourth.

Jack Harrison - 6.5

Quiet game from Harrison, who defended well on a couple of occasions but struggled to link up with Dallas in the same way they did against Real Betis. Good feet going forward but his searching crosses were few and far between. Was forced to play quite deep due to Ajax’s domination of the match.

Mateusz Klich (off 68’) - 6.5

Linked up play well, but became somewhat transparent as Leeds struggled to play the ball through the thirds. Didn’t have too much to show for his involvement when he was replaced by McCarron in the second half.

Rodrigo Moreno (off 68’) - 6

Lacked the impact required from a Leeds attacker off the ball. Did well enough when linking up the play but struggled to retain possession and get onto the end of through-balls. Replaced by Tyler Roberts in the second half.

Raphinha (off 46’) - 6

Leeds United v Real Betis: Pre-Season Friendly

Didn’t look like his usual self. Fairly sloppy when passing the ball and didn’t enjoy cutting inside like he has in previous preseason games. His one shot from outside the box in the first half didn’t trouble the keeper. Replaced by Costa at half time.

Patrick Bamford - 6

Quiet first half which lacked the service Bamford required. Hit the post in the second half as he followed up on the rebound from Dallas’ long range effort; he probably should have scored. Pressed relatively well in the final third, winning the odd ball in the process. Got on the end of a good Dallas cross late in the game but failed to get a clean connection.

Helder Costa (on 46’) - 6

Retained the ball well but looked indecisive in key moments, particularly when he was leading a 3v2 situation early in the second half - he failed to distribute the ball soon enough and Leeds failed to benefit from the opportunity. Continued his bad habit of giving away cheap free kicks.

Tyler Roberts (on 68’) - 6

Saw little of the ball upon his inclusion. Nothing of note to say regarding his cameo appearance.

Liam McCarron (on 68’) - 6.5

Wolverhampton Wanderers v Leeds United: Premier League 2

Came on to allow Dallas to slot in at centre-mid. Stood his ground defensively and drove forward well to progress the ball for Leeds. Otherwise wasn’t able to drastically impact the match.

Jack Jenkins (on 79’) - 6

Fleetwood Town v Leeds United: Pre-Season Friendly

Was dispossessed in the build-up to the fourth goal, but the ball he received from Koch wasn’t the best. Not much he could do to impact the direction of the game.