Marcelo Bielsa suggested eight of the Leeds United starting XI for Saturday’s Championship clash against Middlesbrough, according to Phil Hay.
Writing on his personal Twitter account on Thursday afternoon, the Yorkshire Evening Post correspondent reported that he had listened back to Marcelo Bielsa’s media conference earlier in the day about the composition of his team for the Riverside fixture.
Hay explained the “definite starters” will be Kiko Casilla, Luke Ayling, Pontus Jansson, Liam Cooper, Ezgjan Alioski, Kemar Roofe, Jack Harrison and Patrick Bamford.
With Adam Forshaw, Pablo Hernandez and Mateusz Klich all injury doubts, they could be replaced by Kalvin Phillips, Jack Clarke and Jamie Shackleton.
Having listened back, this – I think – is what Bielsa was saying about his team for Boro:
Definite starters: Casilla, Ayling, Jansson, Cooper, Alioski, Roofe, Harrison and Bamford.
Then, due to injury doubts: Forshaw or Phillips, Hernandez or Clarke, Klich or Shackleton.
— Phil Hay (@PhilHay_) February 7, 2019
Hay backtracked on his claim earlier in the day that midfielder Phillips, 23, would be restored to the team after missing out last weekend in the 3-1 defeat to Norwich City.
Doubts over Klich and Forshaw, who have knee injuries. Hernandez also a doubt with a groin problem. So Bielsa's line-up is still to be finally decided. But Kalvin Phillips will start. #lufc
— Phil Hay (@PhilHay_) February 7, 2019
OPINION
If Hay’s re-hearing of Bielsa’s slightly confusing media conference is correct, the headline news is that Patrick Bamford and Kemar Roofe will start a league match together for the first time in a shake-up of an attack that has misfired of late. Bamford has scored twice as a substitute – in his last two matches for the club – but has yet to start a Championship game since his £7million transfer from Middlesbrough last summer. He is more likely to spearhead the attack than Roofe, who could be pushed back to his old role out wide or behind the main centre-forward. That would mean the axe for Tyler Roberts, who made a decent fist of being used in the number 10 role against Norwich City last weekend. As for Phillips, it appears he may have to wait on the fitness of Adam Forshaw before knowing if he will be recalled to the starting XI. Quite why Bielsa doesn’t bring him straight back in, regardless, following the mediocre team display against Norwich, is unclear.