OPINION
Ronaldo Vieira is the one asset inherited from Garry Monk which Thomas Christiansen is yet to seriously tap into since Leeds United’s Championship campaign began two months ago.
This is ironic, as the 2016-17 mainstay is the one player who could instantly rejuvenate an ailing Leeds team which wheezed into the international break on a run of three consecutive away defeats.
Frozen out of United’s team by the central midfield alliance of Eunan O’Kane and Kalvin Phillips, who have accumulated 21 out of a possible 22 league starts between them, Vieira has gone from key man to forgotten man in the space of a few months.
The Elland Road academy product made 24 league starts under Monk last season. His three Championship appearances in 2017-18 have all come from the substitute’s bench.
One of Christiansen’s many items on his to-do list over the international break is identifying where Leeds went wrong during the last few weeks and coming up with a plan to rectify it.
Christiansen suggested that his team were “soft” in the wake of Sunday’s 3-0 capitulation at Sheffield Wednesday and nowhere was this more apparent than in central midfield.
The answer is staring the Dane in the face.
He should axe an attacking player and introduce a third central midfielder, particularly for tough assignments on the road.
A 4-3-2-1 formation would mean a promotion for Vieira, and give free roles to two players, most likely summer signings Samuel Saiz and Ezgjan Alioski, behind main spearhead Pierre-Michel Lasogga.
Phillips was criticised at the weekend but his tally of tackles is among the highest in the Championship and his performance data shows an increased number of shots on goal in comparison to last season, including more goals in 11 matches than he had in his previous 52.
O’Kane’s creation of chances has also increased – he has already registered three assists – and at their best, the pair have allowed Christiansen’s front four to do their thing.
But two playmakers in Spanish pair Hernandez and Saiz has been made to look like a luxury in United’s last three away fixtures, with just two central midfielders behind them.
Adding Vieira in that position would give Leeds back the midfield bite they had last season.
He is physical, tough and energetic, with the nous to close down the space in which opponents operate and the technical ability to keep the team ticking over in possession.
It would mean sacrificing a flair player, most likely Pablo Hernandez, but would make Leeds tougher to beat.
It is a fairly simple solution, but an obvious one, too. Christiansen should not hesitate to implement it.