Leeds United will be looking to get back to winning ways this weekend as they travel to Goodison Park to take on Everton. Michael Skubala’s side have gone eight Premier League games without a win and they’ve been hard at work in training this week as they look to bring an end to that run.
That can be seen in United’s latest ‘Inside Training’ video as the Whites prepare themselves for the survival six-pointer in Merseyside. Here’s a few observations we made from the video.
Injury clues
Michael Skubala confirmed in his pre-match press conference that Pascal Struijk and Sonny Perkins had returned to training and the pair can be seen in the video. Struijk suffered a concussion last week at Old Trafford, while Perkins had an ankle issue.
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Both were involved in full training this week, though, and it seems they could be in contention to face the Toffees. However, there was no sign of Liam Cooper or Marc Roca, who are battling their way back to full fitness.
Cooper and Roca haven’t been seen since the loss to Nottingham Forest at the start of the month and the video does little to suggest they will be involved at Goodison Park.
The bromance lives on
Ex-Leeds United coach Jesse Marsch spoke at length about the friendship Gnonto and Summerville had developed since the Italian's arrival at the club in summer. The pair seemingly hit it off immediately and the hope was that they could help each other as they push themselves into the first-team picture.
It seems they’re still inseparable, judging by the video, pairing up to work on their balance and control in an indoor exercise. Gnonto and Summerville can be seen taking turns running on a small trampoline whilst controlling balls thrown in to their feet.
They can also be spotted chatting away in the background of the shot as the indoor session appeared to come to a close. Gnonto and Summerville could be set to start together once more on Saturday afternoon, just as they did against Manchester United last week.
Monteiro’s role
Leeds United have high hopes for Monteiro and it seems he is training with the first-team on a regular basis following his deadline day switch from Servette last month. The defender made his Under-21s debut on Monday night against Newcastle United and he is expected to continue picking up minutes with the youth side for the time being.
However, he is training with the first-team and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him named as defensive cover on the bench, just as he was last weekend, in Merseyside.
Gyabi’s goal
Anyone who has watched the U21s on a regular basis this season will know Gyabi loves to score a screamer. He’s bagged two Premier League 2 Division 2 goals this season and both have come from distance.
He’s yet to repeat the feat at first-team level, but his sublime strike in training this week was enough to underline his quality. Running onto a perfectly weighted Brenden Aaronson lay-off, Gyabi curled a first time effort into the top corner of the goal from the edge of the area.
The midfielder then peered over his shoulder to give Patrick Bamford a knowing glance and a cheeky smile as he returned to his position.
Finishing practice
What was notable from this week’s video is that most of the outdoor drills shown seemed to be centred on finishing and attacking movement. Leeds can be seen working the ball into the box in a variety of different ways, often from a wide position, for the likes of Georginio Rutter, Gnonto, Aaronson and Bamford to tuck away smartly.
The Whites have struggled in front of goal in recent weeks, drawing a blank in three of their last four outings and scoring just six goals since their return from the World Cup break. Considering they scored 22 in 14 games before the tournament, more than 10 other top flight teams, that’s a sizeable drop off in attacking form.
Skubala will be keen to see Leeds find their groove going forward once more in the coming weeks and such drills will surely help.
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