Start crying, Frank Lampard?
Believe it or not, Tuesday night will be Frank Lampard’s first visit to Elland Road since he was on the pitch and mimicking binoculars on the night Derby County ended Leeds United’s promotion dream in 2019. That was the night, full of narrative and drama after Spygate and the like, the former England midfielder really confirmed his lot among the United fanbase.
There are all kinds of stories and rumours about what went on in the Derby dressing room that night, but it’s universally agreed the Rams filled their boots when it came to rubbing in United’s demise. This is the first opportunity the Whites faithful will have to welcome Lampard back to Elland Road in their own inimitable way.
‘Stop crying, Frank Lampard’ became the song of the season before Mason Mount and co dashed Leeds dreams. You can be sure it will have more than one airing on Tuesday evening.
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Sinisterra’s full league debut?
Luis Sinisterra got through his full debut with a hand in three goals last week, then came on at Brighton & Hove Albion and visibly lifted the side’s attacking threat. Off the back of a defeat, Jesse Marsch may find it hard to ignore the chance to start a player many consider to be in the club’s strongest line-up on paper.
Daniel James has pushed the door ajar for the Colombian to burst through, while Brenden Aaronson, Jack Harrison and Rodrigo should be secure based on their respective starts to the campaign.
The latest Cooper and Bamford chapter
In what is becoming one of the sagas of this season’s formative weeks, all eyes will once again be on where Liam Cooper and Patrick Bamford are. Even in the week he returned to action in the Carabao Cup, the captain was then left out of the matchday squad in East Sussex because of another niggle.
Bamford was so close to being fit for Chelsea he was given until the day before the match before a decision was made. There have been three squads named since then and he has been absent from all of them.
Marsch again said the striker “will be really close” for Everton when he addressed his fitness after Saturday’s loss in Falmer. Will either of them finally make it back on Tuesday night?
Watch out for those counters
The cautionary tale of the summer was the ease with which opponents could counter on Leeds and punish them on the break. There has not been a massive quantity of evidence to get too worried about that since the competitive action began, but Marsch has highlighted Everton’s potency in that regard.
“They got a good result against Brentford who is a really good team and the way they played at the end of last year, very pragmatic, but also very clear,” he said. “They defend very well, they don't give much away. They're good on the counter. So it sets up to be a dangerous game for us.”
If the Toffees are to set up in a low block and break with Demarai Gray, Anthony Gordon and Dwight McNeil, Leeds need to be ready.
A final experiment of the summer transfer window
Tuesday’s match represents United’s final clash before the summer transfer window closes and the last examination of Marsch’s squad before the long drive to the January market. If he, Victor Orta, Angus Kinnear or Andrea Radrizzani have any outstanding questions about this squad, now’s the time to thrash them out for answers.
The Everton game will be a final chance for players to prove their worth or underline just where they are unable to help the squad in its current condition. Left-back seems to be a question long since answered, but if Pascal Struijk has an especially bad game there may be renewed worries about cover there.
More importantly, if Rodrigo draws a meek blank, Bamford remains absent and Joe Gelhardt fails to impact the match from the bench, there may just be enough doubt in the boardroom to tip the scale on that final acquisition of the summer.
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