On a recent episode of the Inside Elland Road podcast, Graham Smyth and Joe Urquhart have been discussing who should replace the injured Kalvin Phillips in the heart of Leeds United’s midfield.
It was recently announced that the 24-year-old is facing five weeks on the sidelines having sustained a knee injury during the club’s recent victory over Swansea City at the Liberty Stadium (as per leedsunited.com).
Smyth suggested that Gaetano Berardi may come into the side as a centre-back and that Marcelo Bielsa may ask Ben White to step into the deep-lying defensive midfield role, however, Urquhart had a different view.
He said: “I’d probably like to see [Stuart] Dallas there, and maybe have [Barry] Douglas or [Ezgjan] Alioski at left-back, but because I think Ben White is far better as a centre-half and Dallas can probably do a job. I mean Dallas can do that role well enough for Leeds to manage through if that makes any sense, but I prefer Ben White at centre-half.”
Who would you prefer to see play in midfield?
Ben White
Stuart Dallas
TIF Thoughts…
Both suggestions are possible solutions in order to assist Leeds in coping with the absence of Kalvin Phillips, who has been a regular this season.
The 24-year-old has played 37 times in the Championship for the Yorkshire-based club this season and according to WhoScored.com, his average performance rating in the competition stands at 7.22/10 making him the Whites’ second-most consistent performer only behind Luke Ayling.
It may be a brave call for Bielsa to field Dallas centrally, despite having previously done so in this campaign, with the likes of Ben White, in particular, earning rave reviews for stepping in for Phillips against Huddersfield Town in March.
Leeds United are closing in on promotion to the Premier League for the first time since they were relegated back in 2004 and success this season would end their 16 year exile from the top-flight.