Leeds United are in a bit of a tricky situation at the moment.
Indeed, the Whites have won just one of their last seven league games, and things haven’t been made any easier by Kalvin Phillips picking up a red card in their most recent game against QPR.
The 24-year-old will now miss the next three matches, and while Marcelo Bielsa has a plan in place for Phillips’ absence he should abstain from using it for all three games.
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Bielsa’s plan
This won’t be the first time the Yorkshire Pirlo is missing in action this season as he’s previously sat out their match against Huddersfield through accumulating five yellow cards.
Ahead of that game the Argentine stated that his plan was to use Ben White in the holding midfield role, and while he didn’t pull the trigger that time, he looks as though he’s tempted to play him this weekend, confirming the Brighton loanee would play in midfield during his Monday press conference.
Giving White a run out in midfield isn’t too bad of an idea as his 2.5 interceptions per game, 1.8 tackles per match and 85% pass completion percentage seem to suit him to the position, but Leeds should want to experiment with the holding midfield role here.
Chance to experiment
Nobody wants to think about not getting promoted this season, but it’s a distinct possibility after this recent poor run.
Phil Hay has previously stated that there could be a mass exodus if Leeds don’t go up, and with Phillips garnering interest from numerous Premier League sides last summer, you have to say that there’s a chance he’d leave if United didn’t go up.
If the Whites fail in their quest for promotion and Phillips did leave they’d have to look for his successor, and with young midfielders such as Alfie McCalmont and Robbie Gotts receiving high praise as of late, they could be the men to fill his shoes.
These next few weeks could be a chance to screen them as potential heirs to Phillips’ proverbial throne, and handing them these sorts of opportunities could help the Yorkshire club in the long run.
In other news, our writers have been weighing up whether or not one man would be a good signing for Leeds.