Leeds United

Leeds United: Beren Cross calls for Llorente to be dropped against Brentford

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Image for Leeds United: Beren Cross calls for Llorente to be dropped against Brentford

LeedsLive reporter Beren Cross has found no room for Diego Llorente in his predicted Leeds lineup for their final game of the season.

The Spanish defender arrived in an £18m deal from Real Sociedad at the start of last season and has gone on to make 42 Premier League appearances for the club – 27 of which have come this term, all from the start.

Nonetheless, as the Whites battle for their lives at Brentford knowing that a Burnley win against Newcastle will see them relegated no matter what result they achieve in west London, Cross has elected against selecting the defender for the clash. 

Should Llorente start against Brentford?

Yes

Yes

No

No

The Yorkshire club have shipped 78 goals in this campaign – just one fewer than bottom club Norwich City – and will be facing one of the form teams in the league, with only Liverpool, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur taking more points than Brentford in the last 10 games. 

While conducting his preferred XI for LeedsLive, he said: “Koch adds defensive solidity and Pascal Struijk gets my vote at left-back for the same reasons. Diego Llorente is taken out of the firing line after some fear-inducing moments of late.

“Charlie Cresswell’s fearless youth gets the nod for me. His physicality at set-pieces would be important too.”

TIF Thoughts on Llorente and Leeds…

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This was a low point in Leeds United's history, but how many points did they get in the 2003/04 campaign?

It is certainly a huge call for the reporter to make by replacing Llorente with a 19-year-old who has played just 141 Premier League minutes.

Despite falling to a 3-0 defeat to Chelsea at the start of the month, the £16.2m-rated Spaniard posted a team-high 6.9 SofaScore match rating among players who started the game, making four tackles and one goalline clearance, which is the kind of last-ditch defending that Jesse Marsch’s side may require to stay alive.

He is one of the team’s most consistent performers, too, with a 6.59 average match rating (as per WhoScored), which puts him sixth among his teammates who have started a game this season, so despite Cross’ bold call, we think Llorente will still get the nod.

In other news: Journalist posts worrying behind-scenes footage out of Leeds

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