Leeds United's 3-2 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux last Friday night was a huge one in terms of the team's survival chances but it came at a price. Leeds were forced into four substitutions due to injuries, with Patrick Bamford, Diego Llorente, Mateusz Klich and Illan Meslier having to come off but after the game, Jesse Marsch told Sky Sports that he thought all four were 'OK'.
Bamford's injury is said to have been a flare up of the foot issue he has already been managing, whilst Llorente and Meslier were thought to have picked up a strain and some bruising respectively. Meanwhile, Klich was forced off due to a concussion after Robin Koch collided with him.
Leeds' next fixture is on April 2, thanks to the international break, meaning that all four of those players should have the time needed to recover. With Kalvin Phillips and Liam Cooper expected to be at full capacity by that point, Marsch will hopefully only have Tyler Roberts, Junior Firpo and Leo Hjelde missing from his first-team squad.
Read more: Jesse Marsch praised for what he did during Leeds United's win at Wolves by former referee
The Whites have four fixtures coming up in the next month where they can assure their safety, so Marsch will want to get his best XI out as often as he can. Here is Leeds Live's attempt to predict what that might be:
Goalkeeper - Illan Meslier
Kristoffer Klaesson did well in his short appearance on the pitch, making a couple of important late saves. However, Meslier is clearly number one and will return in goal immediately, presuming he's fit.
Full backs - Luke Ayling & Stuart Dallas
One of the recurring issues under Marsch so far has been the full backs being exposed in defensive areas and both Ayling and Dallas have struggled in one-on-one situations. In possession, they have helped move the team forwards though and provided impetus and width going forwards. They will almost certainly be the full-back pair.
Centre backs - Diego Llorente & Liam Cooper
Many have wondered when Pascal Struijk would be considered ahead of Liam Cooper in the pecking order at Leeds and recent weeks have suggested that the time has not yet come. Struijk has performed very well since becoming a bonafide first-team squad member last season but he struggled badly during the run of games which saw Marcelo Bielsa lose his job as Leeds coach.
Marsch has made a lot of the 'leadership group' and having characters in the team since his arrival. That suggests that even on the basis of seniority alone, Leeds' captain will come straight back into the starting XI after the international break.
Next to him, we are yet to see Marsch's preferred option between Llorente and Koch, as the German has been required in midfield often. Llorente has started at centre back twice under Leeds' new manager so he seems the safe choice at the moment.
Central midfield - Kalvin Phillips & Mateusz Klich
Marsch admitted after the game that whilst Phillips was on the bench at Wolves, he was not going to play. However, with two weeks before the next match, he is likely to be ready to play from the start against Southampton. He seems almost a guaranteed first-choice.
Mateusz Klich might be the choice to partner him, although Adam Forshaw has played well. The Pole adds an option who is more confident passing forwards and helps Leeds to progress the ball in central areas. Given that Leeds play a narrow formation under the American, this is important.
Attacking midfielders - Raphinha & Daniel James
The attacking midfield roles in the 4-2-2-2 are more 'narrow wingers', than two tens or two out-and-out wide players. Raphinha and James are the most likely options to play moving forwards, although Jack Harrison has impressed and will surely get a lot of game time from the bench, as well as sometimes being rotated in from the start. These two players may also rotate up front during games, with Rodrigo taking up an attacking midfield role.
Strikers - Rodrigo & Patrick Bamford
As long as Bamford is fit enough, he seems a shoo-in to start up front. Leeds have looked so much better structurally with their only true number nine in the team. Rodrigo had one terrible half under Marsch in the Aston Villa game but other than that, he has been one of the better players in recent games. The role of the attacking midfielder or second striker suits him more naturally than the deeper midfielder moving forwards that he often played under Bielsa.
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