Does last week’s promise finally yield three points?
As promising and encouraging as last week was in that low-expectation double-header under a caretaker boss against one of the Premier League’s form sides, Leeds United really do need to win today. The Whites are running out of road and excuses for this dire winless run.
Two wins in 19 league matches and no wins in the last nine is a horrendous run which has, quite understandably, seen them plunge down the league table. A win at Goodison Park takes them four clear of Everton and then frames next weekend’s clash with Southampton in an entirely different way.
If they play as well as they did in last week’s matches, you would like to think a weaker side than Manchester United will fold.
READ MORE: Leeds United line-ups vs Everton as Georginio Rutter and Pascal Struijk attempts go unrewarded
Skubala’s prospects
Michael Skubala’s stock took several boosts last week across press conferences and matches to the point where United felt comfortable giving him more time on the touchline. The Whites are well aware of the plight they’re in and if last week’s level becomes a distant memory in these next two games, they know they will need to act and quickly.
Skubala’s chances of seeing this role out for a few more weeks, if not months, starts this afternoon in the Goodison Park bearpit.
Avoiding another Merseyside misery
It was one year and six days ago, Marcelo Bielsa took Leeds to the blue side of Stanley Park for an away clash in very similar circumstances to today. The Argentine would take the Whites to Frank Lampard’s Everton with just three wins from 12 league games (an enviable record in the present day).
It was three days after that concerning, wide-open 3-3 draw at Villa Park and a 3-0 defeat to a poor Toffees outfit set alarm bells ringing throughout the club. In hindsight, it proved to be the beginning of the end for Bielsa, who was sacked three matches later.
Everton tails will be up, as they were that afternoon, with Sean Dyche fresh in the building. The Whites will certainly have to weather the storm at points this afternoon, but must not fade away as they did 12 months ago.
Who picks up the Ayling mantle?
Or does Luke Ayling continue in the same vein? The stand-in captain stood up to be counted last week and led from the front.
Skubala will need Ayling, Patrick Bamford et al to stand tall again this afternoon and fight tooth and nail for that badge. If Leeds are to stay in this division, especially with a caretaker head coach, they need their big characters on the field to take matches like these by the scruff of the neck.
Any changes? Who’s back?
Keep an eye on the Tyler Adams situation. The club’s weekly training video is never a foolproof guarantee of who is fit and who isn’t, but it’s at least worth noting the American was conspicuous by his absence.
Liam Cooper and Marc Roca are the other question marks, while Pascal Struijk should be in the squad at least. Does the Dutchman get a recall to the line-up, however? Junior Firpo played well on Sunday.
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