A lot of things have changed in the dressing room of Leeds United since the conclusion of the last campaign. Leeds have a new manager in Garry Monk although that’s nothing new for the Leeds fans who have seen six managerial victims under their Italian owner Massimo Cellino since 2014. Monk could well be the seventh to face the axe if he fails to meet the expectations of the controversial owner who demands results on an immediate basis.
Monk comes with whole new ideas and philosophy which once made him look like the real deal in the Premier League during his Swansea days. Things did not work out for long for the Englishman at Liberty which eventually led to his sacking last season. Monk has his reputation to revive at Elland Road and he is well-capable of doing so. All he needs is a bit of time and Cellino has to offer him that.
So what would be the best possible starting XI of the Whites next season under Monk? In this article, we will discuss how the Yorkshire club could line up next season although one or two changes could happen, depending on how Leeds do during the remainder of the transfer window.
Monk is likely to opt for a 4-3-3 formation which he used at Swansea. Monk learnt the managerial aspects of the game under Brendan Rodgers and Michael Laudrup when he was one of the senior players of Swansea. Both managers used to play 4-3-3 at Liberty and Monk’s tactics are pretty much based on the tactics of the two managers.
Defence
Robert Green could get the nod ahead of Marco Silvestri under the bar thanks to his enormous experience. Skipper Sol Bamba did not have the best last season and will compete with loanee Kyle Bartley for a first team place while Liam Cooper looks like an assured starter. Gaetano Berardi and Charlie Taylor will feature on the two full-back positions.
Midfield
Unless Leeds sign a new defensive midfielder, Toumani Diagouraga will remain the first-choice at defensive midfield whose job will be to protect the back four and play simple passes forward to initiate attacks. Youngsters Alex Mowatt and loanee Matt Grimes are expected to start as the two box to box midfielders. There’s a big void to fill in the middle of the park as Lewis Cook made his much-anticipated Premier League switch to Bournemouth and we have to wait and see if Leeds can achieve success without their best performer from the last campaign.
Attack
Stuart Dallas will definitely start on the left flank while new signing Sacko is likely to compete with Doukara for a start on the right flank. Chris Wood will start the season as the first-choice forward but unless he improves on his form from last campaign, Marcus Antonsson will definitely replace him on the teamsheet.
