Immediate transfer window response?
After all of the talking, all of the speculating, all of the finger-pointing, all of the column-writing and all of the depth charts, Leeds United finally get to have their reply to the critics.
If the players Marcelo Bielsa has backed again and again, through the latest window included, can repay that faith and show the fan base why they did not reinforcements, it will calm a lot of folk down.
February can either be a series of demoralising defeats at the hands of a rotten fixture run or a series of bloodied mouths right up the Premier League order which show United’s existing squad is up to the task.
Starting off on the right foot tonight would be good.
Where does Forshaw slot in?
Adam Forshaw has established himself as one of the key players in the side already this season. In a campaign blighted by some mediocre form, the midfielder has risen to the top table of performers within this group.
Assuming he has trained as much as he has implied through the international break, he should be fit enough for Bielsa to bring him back into the side.
He was last deployed as a box-to-box midfielder in the West Ham United win, but before that played regularly as the defensive midfielder in Kalvin Phillips’s absence.
Robin Koch may be preferred in the deeper role as a more defensive option away from home, but either way, someone is surely set to be dropped to make space.
Who plays in attack?
As Bielsa showed in his fiery answers on Monday, the question of who is the most effective striker at Leeds when Patrick Bamford is unavailable has raged through the past 18 days.
The head coach is all too aware of the narrative around Joe Gelhardt, who was Bielsa’s last resort in the Newcastle United loss, and the clamour from fans to see him start.
The smart money would suggest Bielsa sticks with his Daniel James experiment, but Rodrigo could be an option as Bielsa shuffles the pack down the spine of the side to make way for Forshaw.
Gelhardt seems a stretch because of Bielsa’s preference for experience when it is available.
Harrison set for 150th appearance
It only seems like yesterday Jack Harrison was striding into Thorp Arch for the pictures to confirm his loan switch from Manchester City in 2018, but he is set to make his 150th appearance tonight.
The trip to Aston Villa will be the 165th match of Bielsa’s tenure, which only underlines just how consistent and injury-free Harrison has been throughout the past three-and-a-half years.
For context, Jermaine Beckford finished with 152 appearances for the Whites. Harrison is quickly rising up the all-time list and building a legacy for himself.
How is Summerville used?
Crysencio Summerville’s 90 minutes with the under-23s on Monday night probably answers this question anyway, but where does the land lie on the Dutchman?
Bielsa only spoke at length, and colourfully, about the wide man’s wish to leave West Yorkshire when he was directly asked about it in his pre-match press conference.
There was no sense of negative judgement on Bielsa’s part, but how the wantaway forward is used moving forward will be intriguing.
With four players still unavailable, Summerville certainly makes the grade in a matchday 20 for United, but Monday’s exertions may see him left out altogether.
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