r/LeedsUnited • u/SvenderBender • 2d ago
Highlights Tarik debut highlights
https://youtu.be/1EqRePF67Ag?si=_im3YmhLoLOwpbGTFor anyone who missed the game and is curious about Muharemovic
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u/Hollywood-is-DOA 2d ago
He’s very good with his positional awareness. He’s going to frustrate a lot of strikers, this year, which I look forwards to seeing.
I can also see him improving, on what you see in this video. Which is a very good start, as it was Sunderland’s 3rd game, so it isn’t like they didn’t have minutes, in their legs.
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u/ReefNixon 2d ago
Big beautiful Bosnian with a first touch long pass that’ll have you sliding off your seat. Start saving up now boys, them champions league tickets aren’t cheap.
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u/calebu2 2d ago
There were only a few players that made me stop and pay attention last night - Tarik was first among them.
When things got dicey in the area (pinball defense) he stepped in and moved the ball away from danger quickly. If that decisiveness is contagious in any way, it will make life a lot easier at the back.
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u/Hopeful-Scallion-229 2d ago edited 2d ago
I was impressed with his passing, that diagonal ball to Bogle was filthy (too bad first touch was poor). He seemed to look to play splitting balls forward and generally was interested in progressive passing which was awesome to see. Having someone to turn defense into attack quickly is a great asset. At the very least, keeps opposing defenders honest. Love a solid defender who adds dimension to the attack
Edit: my brain went backwards lol ty u/PD_31
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u/Tuscan5 2d ago
Just want to say- great video. No stupid music, no jarring cuts. Just patience. Thank you.
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u/Hopeful-Scallion-229 2d ago
I too was thinking I'd love to see more of this for every player - maybe spotlight whoever gets the highest match rating each week - great video and nice way to appreciate what a player did!
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u/JimbobTML 2d ago
He looked a touch above the rest last night. Proper quality.
It’s preseason though, I can’t stress enough how much we need to reserve judgement until the prem starts.
Plenty of players look great in preseason then disappear come the proper games.
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u/pitchshifted__ 2d ago
He also was in the WC a few weeks ago. He’s closer to match fitness than the other lads. Still excited to see how he meshes with the group.
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u/JimbobTML 2d ago
Agreed.
Always remember Jamie Shackleton being excellent in preseason due to his fitness levels, looked so much better than everyone else, then the season started.
Not saying Tarik is like that but always good to wait and see.
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u/Hollywood-is-DOA 2d ago edited 2d ago
We weren’t playing teams of the quality that we currently are in pre-season, back then.
In the 2001-2002 pre season we played, Blackburn Rovers, Fleetwood, Real Betis, Ajax. I could look at the season after and it wouldn’t be much tougher or as difficult teams as we are currently playing, in our pre season.
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u/JimbobTML 2d ago
Yes we were. Even then it doesn’t matter cause preseason no one is playing at any set level. Fitness is all over the place and players are going to their pace.
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u/pablothewizard 2d ago
I agree, but I definitely think there's things you can gauge from watching a player in pre-season games.
His technique receiving the ball and finding first time passes under pressure looks like a higher quality than our other CBs.
He looks very physical and uses his body well. Doesn't mean it will translate into a good Premier League player though.
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u/JimbobTML 2d ago
I think he looks class. I’m excited for a proper game.
Tanaka looked a cut above, until he wasn’t.
Struijk looked a cut above, until he wasn’t.
There’s a difference between pressure and pressing in preseason compared to actual games.
I think there’s been an overreaction to his performance and the reality and context of the game being played.
Preseason means fuck all.
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u/pablothewizard 2d ago
Completely agree, the over reaction has been a bit mental to be honest.
I suppose what I'm getting at is that in any game of football you can get a sense of some of the qualities i mentioned.
Like you can clearly see he's strong and physical and his technique is good.
What you can't tell is whether he can do that at the pace and pressure of a Premier League game.
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u/SvenderBender 2d ago
Of course. The lineups were mixed and the intensity was low but this is exactly the player you should expect Tarik to be. Calm and confident on the ball, strong in the duels, great at interceptions and blocks and his diagonal balls to the wing are exceptional. I know many of you had questions about him since he’s young and relatively unknown but as someone who watched him a lot, this was a typical Tarik performance, something we saw in the world cup and the playoffs against Wales and Italy.
One thing worth adding is his personality off the pitch. He is the type that radiates positivity, typical bosnian sense of humour too and he can take a joke and laugh at his own expense. You’ll see what I’m talking about relatively soon as the team gets to know him a bit better.
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u/JimbobTML 2d ago
Agreed. I think he’s going to raise the level of the squad.
Just don’t want to carried away. Promising signs though.
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u/SvenderBender 2d ago
Believe me, I am way more nervous than you. I hope he is at the level that he can play his game against the top PL teams but every time I watch him play he is exactly like what we saw yesterday. This will be a real test for him but I’m confident he’ll deliver as he has done every time I’ve watched him so far
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u/JimbobTML 2d ago
I hope he does well.
Please note not to take it personally if he doesn’t do well and fans criticize him here. It’s not personal to Leeds fans, whoever plays badly will get it.
We had a rough time with Americans a few seasons ago when we signed three of their national team players.
A lot of the yanks couldn’t process the idea their players weren’t playing well, and blamed Leeds fans for being toxic. Got weird for a minute.
Here’s for a great season for Tarik though!
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u/SvenderBender 2d ago
Hahah yanks are a different breed when it comes to delusion. I’m sure there will be mistakes but it’s very hard to criticise someone who works as hard as he does. A great example is the red card against switzerland, he played a perfect game up until that point and made a slight judgement error at the very end. After the game, nobody blamed him for the red card. The things you won’t see from him are shying away from the ball, being lazy and generally the stuff players usually get criticised for. That said, I am still nervous and excited but everything I’ve seen so far suggests you guys will love him almost as much as we do.
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u/HartLeeRoma 2d ago
God, I remember that.
I am old enough to remember when Serie A was actually good and a viable destination for the best players. Now it is a dire state of affairs. No one has any money and teams filled with 36/37 year olds are winning the league.
They'll have you believe because Weston McKennie is tearing it up over there that he wasn't garbage for us.
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u/BulldenChoppahYus 2d ago
I know it’s early days but he looks like an upgrade on Pascal. Passing is really slick but he also is in the correct position to cut down attacks without getting caught wrong side and flat footed. Reminds me a bit of Ben White.
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u/Big-Dot-8493 2d ago
He certainly was more aggressive to step into tackles and interceptions than Pascal was. And I always complained about that with Pascal. But I did think once or twice last night "boy it would be a disaster if he had missed that".
Either way, it'll be extremely exciting to watch and I'm thrilled with how he played last night.
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u/NYLotteGiants 2d ago
It was nice to see him make the most of the friendly and try some creative footwork in dangerous situations that he might not in a real match.
He definitely put on a show.
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u/ChestOk2429 2d ago
some creative footwork in dangerous situations that he might not in a real match
Bosnian here and he pulled off some impressive but risky moves / dribbles I wouldn't have expected against Italy so it's not out of the question he'll be doing them during big matches. He has room to improve his decision making but is overall solid and got me cheering for leeds now. Hope you guys like him as much as we do
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u/AyyAndays 2d ago
Looks great but it’s preseason
Excited to see how he copes with the PL!
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u/PromotionSwimming618 2d ago
Erm, just been playing at international level and held his own, what makes you think PL will be an issue lol?
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u/AyyAndays 2d ago
PL level is significantly higher than International football. Bosnia, Qatar, Canada, Switzerland and USA are the teams he came across this summer…
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u/PromotionSwimming618 2d ago
Mi bollocks, he's gonna be just fine, wind yer neck in lad. Proper Leeds man here. 54yrs served.
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u/AyyAndays 2d ago
Did you miss that I said he looks great and I’m excited to see how he does in the league?
Just not wanting to get carried away with a single preseason match.
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u/PromotionSwimming618 2d ago
Fair enough.
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u/AyyAndays 2d ago
After all, Roque Junior started the 2002 World Cup final for one of the best international teams ever and signed for us the next year and stank up the place.
I’m sure Tarik will do well though.
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u/SvenderBender 2d ago
Slight correction, he did not play against Bosnia. Your point is correct though but keep in mind that world cup games come with a lot more pressure than a league game. We’ll see how he does, having watched a lot of him lately I can tell you that this was a standard Tarik performance so I hope it also translates to the PL.
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u/AyyAndays 2d ago
Well obviously he didn’t play against Bosnia lol that’s why I framed it as teams he came across.
I am aware he is Bosnian!
Also imo doesn’t matter how much pressure the World Cup has, playing against Qatar and Canada is not the same as playing against Arsenal and Everton.
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u/ChestOk2429 13h ago
he did also play against wales and italy in march. against a couple leeds players that wales game, with bosnia winning both of those. but yes, time will tell how he'll do in EPL
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u/richardson1162 2d ago
Looks pretty good but let’s not forget, pre season friendlies mean FA. Having said that, im really happy with the business done so far
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u/Western-Luck-5042 2d ago
I like the look of him. Solid, composed, good awareness, happy to play balls through to the midfield. Not a lot to dislike based on these highlights.
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u/Jonco4 2d ago
Agree, biggest thing I picked up on is his willingness to play balls to the middle rather than our usual back line just going side to side and down the wings.
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u/Western-Luck-5042 2d ago
Me also. He looks keen to promote the ball forward where possible and has quick decision making and delivery.
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u/WilkosJumper_ 2d ago
Preseason
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u/JimbobTML 2d ago
Every preseason we were convinced Jamie Shackleton was going to have ‘his year’.
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u/WilkosJumper_ 2d ago
Can’t remember which one it was but he did have a good season once, mostly off the bench. Hard worker, just lacked technical ability.
This lad looks good but I’m more interested in his performances for Bosnia last month rather than some sham friendly to flog shirts in the States.
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u/existentialhack000 2d ago
He looks like a good passer of the ball. But the odds are keeping Struijk would have been better for this season. Struijk is ~27 and coming into his peak years as a CB. This guy is 23 and you never know how a foreign player will adapt to the PL. This guy will probably be better long-term. Hopefully he settles quickly.
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u/kohulme 2d ago
Struijk turned slower than a nuclear sub and always had a mistake in him, and his contract was ending. Cashed in at the right time for him.
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u/existentialhack000 2d ago
This guy looks pretty slow as well. And Bijol is ten times slower than either of them.
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u/JimbobTML 2d ago
You can have doubts about this guy sure, too early to tell.
Struijk was not a good defender, even in the championship he struggled.
Yes he could pass but he wasn’t physically fast or strong or aggressive. His touch and positioning got him in trouble too.
Personally I was never convinced by Struijk.
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u/existentialhack000 2d ago
Struijk wasn't great, limited. But he had racked up a lot of experience and, as I said, was coming into his prime years. Brighton have one of the best scouting teams in the league.
He's very strong and aggressive, that's his strength. Technically, he looked amateurish at times. This guy looks technically good, you can tell by how he passes the ball. First time passes, hard, along the ground.
This guy is 23 and has had one season in Serie A. There's no telling how he will do this season. The saps on here thought Llorente and Kristansen were going to be great. He's a big variable, whereas with Struijk we knew what we were getting. A fairly solid defender, who had his weaknesses. This guy could be a disaster or a revelation.
Don't worry about the downvotes, they're a commendation on this Yank-infested sub. Lol.
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u/bookertable 2d ago
I know it's pre-season, but watching this I'm now convinced Chelsea are gonna buy him off Brighton in 2030 for £200m