The Phillips sacrifice
The half an hour Kalvin Phillips tucked under his belt last weekend should prove a crucial milestone in his journey back to Leeds United’s first team. The next question for Jesse Marsch is whether that comes today or in another 16 days’ time at Selhurst Park.
Historically, the England international has recovered quickly from injuries and hit the ground running. Based on Marsch’s comments and last weekend’s run-out, he looks a very good bet to start at Vicarage Road.
Who drops out though? The most straightforward options would be Adam Forshaw or Mateusz Klich, but could there be some shifting around for one of Jack Harrison or Daniel James to make way?
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Time for a change up top?
The Patrick Bamford problem never really went away, but even the fans’ pick for his stand-in cannot get a full week’s worth of training in. Joe Gelhardt’s continued run of poor fortune means James looks the most likely bet to continue at the tip of the Leeds attack, unless Phillips’s return prompts a rethink.
Rodrigo could get a turn at the head of the team with Klich filling in behind as a central attacking midfielder, perhaps.
Koch gets a chance?
Marsch is aware of the situation Robin Koch is in. The American praised how well the Germany international had been training without meaningful rewards on a matchday this week.
Diego Llorente has not been a disaster, but his over-elaborate touches and passes in the backline can make you wince at times. Koch is a ready-made replacement to partner Liam Cooper if Marsch is tempted to roll the dice.
Bury Watford and go nine clear
With Norwich City and Burnley playing tomorrow, a win for Leeds at Watford really would feel like a hammer blow to their rivals. A victory would push the Whites to nine points clear of Burnley in 18th and to within a couple of draws from safety based on Premier League history.
A win would directly weaken Watford too. The gap to the Hornets would grow to 11 points which, even with a game in hand, feels like a bridge too far for Roy Hodgson’s side.
Best run of the season
Avoiding defeat would stretch the unbeaten run to four matches for Marsch and Leeds. That would underline the best stretch of form the club has seen throughout the entire campaign.
The last time Leeds went four matches without defeat was in the final four games of last season under Marcelo Bielsa. While it is clear to see the injury situation has improved for Marsch, a statistic like that at least underlines the progress he has made in taking forward steps since the sad demise of the Argentine.
