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Leeds United lost a battle of wits at Elland Road on Saturday afternoon as Sheffield United usurped them into the automatic promotion places with a 1-0 win.
A pulsating encounter ended with a hobbling Pontus Jansson in goal after Kiko Casilla was dismissed for a professional foul on Billy Sharp, and both players will now be absent for the next fixture against Millwall, while the former is also set to miss the trip to Birmingham City through injury.
The double blow has arrived at a troubling time for Marcelo Bielsa with promotion on the line, and it will be intriguing to see how the pair of absences will impact on Leeds’ promotion ambitions.
With that said, we’ve taken a look at the consequences of the weekend setbacks and explored how Bielsa could respond.
Return to CB for Kalvin Phillips
Instinct and impulse would force the vast majority of onlookers to tip Gaetano Berardi to step into Jansson’s shoes, but his overwhelming lack of match fitness suggests Bielsa will be open to alternative solutions.
Berardi, 30, has spent the vast majority of the season on the sideline with serious injury problems and he hasn’t completed 90 minutes of football since the Whites recorded a domineering 3-0 win at Carrow Road in August.
The Switzerland international, for all his quality, represents something of a risk at such a crucial period in the season, and his lack of match practice could force Bielsa to shift Kalvin Phillips back into central defence.
Phillips, who has been emphatically dubbed the ‘Yorkshire Pirlo’ by adoring supporters this season, enjoyed a prolonged period in central defence during the winter months amid a shortage of natural defensive options.
The 23-year-old’s return to holding midfield has been smooth and successful, but concerns over Berardi’s lack of match fitness may well see him slot back into the defensive unit against Millwall.
Add in the fact that Phillips can offer a similar level of technical prowess which Jansson provides from the back-four and the case for a return to central defence becomes a compelling one.
Bailey Peacock-Farrell returns until May
It appeared that Peacock-Farrell’s season was over after Casilla successfully grappled the number one shirt away from the Thorp Arch academy product, but the suspension has opened a door which could see him return to the starting XI until the end of the season.
Leeds’ upcoming fixture will effectively offer the 22-year-old stopper a one-off chance to win his place back in the side and, considering Casilla’s fatal scuttle left the Whites with just 10 players against the Blades, there is no guarantee that Bielsa will reinstate him after serving a one match suspension.
Millwall’s visit represents a huge opportunity for Peacock-Farrell to convince Bielsa that he is worthy of donning the number one shirt until the campaign reaches its conclusion.
Defensive record crumbles
The four games which preceded Leeds’ weekend defeat against Sheffield United suggested that Bielsa had managed to discover a reliable defensive formula.
With Casilla offering an assured presence between the sticks and Jansson’s understanding with Cooper firmly established, Leeds conceded just once in four games before the weekend defeat.
Clean sheets against fellow promotion candidates West Bromwich Albion and Bristol City hinted that Leeds have the level of solidity needed to finish inside the top-two, but fresh disruption to the back line could jeopardise their dream of clinching automatic promotion.