Blackburn impress against Premier League Leeds at Ewood Park

Whilst the returning fans made the game much more competitive than it ought to be, Blackburn Rovers put on an impressive showing against Leeds United.

From the off the atmosphere inside Ewood Park, where fans were returning for the first time since February 2020, ramped up, with 5,000 travelling Leeds supporters making the most of a return to away ends.

“Marching on together,” bellowed out from the Yorkshiremen as their side entered the field and the intensity in the stands was well matched by both sides in the opening stages.

Leeds as ever looked to control possession and press high up the park but Blackburn dealt with the pressure well, particularly through Ryan Nyambe and Tyler Magloire, with the latter looking a real prospect following his loan spell with Motherwell last season.

Both defenders read the game incredibly well against the incisive dribbling of the likes of Raphinha and Helder Costa to name but a few and Rovers generally stood up to the test with a well organised off the ball setup that allowed them to soak up pressure when needed.

The creative elements of their game could never really shine through as Robin Koch and Diego Llorente amongst a host of other players who made their way on to the park in the latter stages, had the recovery pace to stem Rovers balls through the final third.

With Connor McBride’s opener and Patrik Struijk’s equaliser ending the game 1-1, Rovers will have been pleased with the performance put on for their fans.

John Buckley was the real standout, always getting his positioning spot on, loitering in the half spaces and always showing for the ball before turning and driving at the opposition.

The variety in his play is to be admired too and he picks his moments based on the scenario at hand, sometimes opting to spread the play with sweeping long balls out wide, other times looking to make sharp link ups with his midfield counterparts to keep possession, his know-how and vision sees him play the game a step ahead of everyone else at times.

In a season where they will look to keep hold of Adam Armstrong amongst others, having the likes of Buckley to keep the spine of the team fresh and progressive is key to ensuring Rovers don’t head in a downwards trajectory.

And this game could not be commented on without an acknowledgement of Ben Brereton, or Ben Brereton-Diaz as he is now known.

Chilean flags adorned the stands of Ewood in recognition of the strikers successful trip to make his international debut for the native land of his mother in the Copa America.

Chants of “Diaz” whenever he picked up the ball brought life to a game that was looking set to dwindle out on the hour mark, his technical class is an underrated element to his game but now he has the South American tag I’m sure his flair will be more well noted.

Overall, Tony Mowbray will be happy with the showing from his side as they up the intensity ahead of a vital season in his career.

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