Leeds United

Leeds United: Conor McGilligan laments squad depth

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Image for Leeds United: Conor McGilligan laments squad depth

Conor McGilligan has been speaking on the One Leeds Fan YouTube channel about how he believes the lack of depth available within Marcelo Bielsa’s squad could derail Leeds United’s season.

Ahead of this weekend’s clash against Brighton at the Amex Stadium on Saturday evening in the Premier League, Leeds will be hoping to claim a vital three points, which could really reignite their campaign and steer them away from relegation trouble, with the Yorkshire outfit currently lying in 17th position in the league after 12 games.

Speaking on the One Leeds Fan YouTube channel, McGilligan has criticised manager Bielsa, who has been notorious for having a strong preference to have a smaller squad, having decided against investing heavily to improve the Whites’ squad depth this summer before underlining the significance of strong player recruitment earlier this week.

McGilligan said: “We’ve always had this small squad with Bielsa, which has worked, really, when you look at the project, and it’s been fantastic for Leeds.

“But this is the real litmus test now of this squad. There’s a lot of players who are out of form, we’ve come off the back of a Tottenham loss where the first half was fantastic, but the second half just amplified Leeds’ problems with squad depth. This is going to be a continuing thing.

“I think some fans seem to believe we’re going to get all of our players back and it’s going to be fine and we’re going to go on this unbelievable run. There’s been a consistent pattern and a consistent theme when Bielsa has been at Leeds United – it’s injuries.

“So, it’s always going to be a carousel of players coming in and going out, so it’s just whether or not we can get our top, top players fit and I think this all boils back to the squad depth, the recruitment – which is going to be absolutely pivotal for Leeds.”

TIF Thoughts on Bielsa’s small squad…

Although the Argentinian manager remains adamant that injuries to key players and the small size of his squad are not the reason behind his side’s poor results, there is no denying that Bielsa’s decision not to invest more heavily to improve the Whites squad depth this summer has so far proven to be a costly one after the difficult start to the campaign.

Whether Bielsa’s decisions over the makeup of the Leeds squad will bring their Premier League status into question remains to be seen, but it certainly appears to be an issue concerning plenty around the club in recent weeks.

However, given their fine performances last season as they finished ninth, perhaps people’s perceptions of this potential issue are mainly affected by results – hence the current panic that seems to be surrounding the Elland Road club.

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