Captain to return?
Leeds United finally have some real selection dilemmas. The long run of injuries and suspensions last season never seemed to let up, but there will be some calls for Jesse Marsch to make on Saturday.
A team captain is always a big figure in the dressing room and throughout a football club, so Liam Cooper’s availability will not be taken lightly by the head coach. The Scotland international was arguably the team’s best player down the run-in last term, but he hasn’t played in a match since Scotland’s Ukraine loss on June 1.
Roca and Adams under threat?
Adam Forshaw is another of the senior faces returning to contention for Marsch this weekend. The 30-year-old is evidently in direct contention with Marc Roca and Tyler Adams for a starting spot, but it’s not likely to be easy for Marsch to make a switch.
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The head coach underlined Forshaw’s leadership role for the club during the summer and he wore the armband during the friendlies they had. However, Forshaw’s injury record and the form of his team-mates seem sure to keep him sidelined this weekend.
A fresh attacking threat?
Daniel James and Luis Sinisterra are available for selection this weekend too. While they bring plenty of quality on paper it still feels like it could be a stretch to expect Marsch to rotate what was a decent start from his forward line last weekend.
Brenden Aaronson was inches from a debut goal, Rodrigo scored his fourth goal in two matches, Jack Harrison created seven chances and Patrick Bamford inadvertently assisted the own goal. It’s nice to have options.
Righting the wrongs of last season
St Mary’s Stadium was among the first settings of last season to witness what, with hindsight, feels like the beginning of the end for Marcelo Bielsa. Southampton away was a wretched match which exposed the back-three system as well as the importance of Raphinha and Kalvin Phillips.
Leeds may have only lost 1-0 on what was a warm October afternoon, but it was a game which never saw them settle into anything like a productive or efficient pattern. Saturday provides an opportunity to right the wrongs of that game and put the hosts back in their place.
Strength in depth
As the above selection dilemmas would suggest, there are a fair few names available to Leeds this weekend and will, at the very least, bolster Marsch’s bench options. After the endless injuries and suspensions of last season, there will be a rare chance to see something like a game-changing Premier League bench for the Whites.
The addition of four senior names could even see the likes of Darko Gyabi or Sam Greenwood and Crysencio Summerville miss out altogether.
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