Leeds United are fighting for the direct promotion spots, and they are currently occupying the second place in the league table. On the balance of their games so far, the Whites could have taken a healthy lead at the top by now. However, they struggled to close out matches due to their poor finishing in the final third. Now the West Yorkshire outfit have been dealt with a few injury blows as well, and Bielsa recently went on to reveal his plans on how he might cope with it.
One of the primary injury concerns for the Whites is that of Liam Cooper. However, Gaetano Berardi is going to be the likely and obvious swap in the centre of the defence. Recently Jamie Shackleton went down with an injury as well. The midfielder was already replacing the injured Adam Forshaw in the first place so there are some doubts on who might play alongside Mateusz Klich in the middle.
Bielsa on his options in the middle
Bielsa surprisingly revealed that versatile winger Stuart Dallas might get to play in a central role. The Argentine manager said (Yorkshire Post), ”Probably we’re going to play Ayling instead of Dallas and Dallas instead of Shackleton, or [Mateusz] Klich for Shackleton and Roberts in place of Klich.”
Dallas, who has enjoyed an excellent start to the season, is a primarily a winger, but his work rate and tenacity mean that he is capable of filling in as a fullback. However, playing him as a centre-back will be a new challenge for him, and it remains to be seen which of the two solutions Bielsa might follow.
Who we think should start?
The availability of Luke Ayling has probably been the reason why Bielsa is thinking in this manner as he can slot in at right-back. However, we believe that Tyler Roberts should be partnered alongside Mateusz Klich in the middle. Dallas’ form and performances as a full-back have been eye-catching so far and giving him a new position might just unsettle him, which could see him lose confidence. Therefore, we would want him to continue as the fullback for now.
Roberts did play as a no. 10 last season in a few games and he did alright. Moreover, he might be a more attacking option than Dallas.
This is not the first time that Bielsa will be using players out of their natural positions and last season, we saw him find solutions internally to various injury challenges. Sometimes it worked, and sometimes it felt like the Whites would have been better off with a proper option. Only time will tell now which option Bielsa might rely upon against Millwall this weekend.
