Journalist Dean Jones has stated that Leeds United missing key players such as Liam Cooper, Kalvin Phillips, and Patrick Bamford is a major issue for new manager Jesse Marsch.
Leeds currently sit just two points off the drop zone and Burnley have a game in hand over the Whites, leaving Marsch with a tough mountain to climb as he hopes to help his side secure Premier League safety.
It could be argued that the poor form under Marcelo Bielsa was partly down to injuries that his players had suffered, including key players such as Cooper, Phillips and Bamford, who have been sidelined for some time.
Jones told GiveMeSport that it is a “big blow” for new manager Marsch that key players are sidelined due to injury.
He said: “It’s the core of their success, the foundation that this side was built on under Bielsa when he came in, so it’s a big blow for Marsch not to have figureheads in the side like that.”
TIF Thoughts on the injury crisis at Leeds United…
Phillips has been key for Leeds over the past few seasons, and this is evident as he has been awarded with call-ups to the England squad. He was a star performer in England’s Euro 2020 side but has featured just 12 times this term for Leeds due to an injury that he picked up earlier in the season.
Star man Patrick Bamford featured in all 38 Premier League games last season and was arguably the Whites’ best player after he netted 17 times, which was a major factor in Bielsa’s side achieving a top-10 finish. But this term, he has featured just six times due to lengthy injury problems.
With these injuries to players that were key last season, there is no surprise that Leeds have failed to produce the form as last campaign this term, so Marsch has indeed been dealt with a bad hand as he takes over as Leeds manager and may have to change things around without them if he wants to lead the side to safety.