Routes to starts may have taken a hit for Junior Firpo in Jesse Marsch’s new system and Leeds United’s left-back has a greater fight on his hands to deliver on that €15m investment. Under Marcelo Bielsa, a 4-1-4-1 system opened up three slots for the small midfield corps at Elland Road, but under his American successor, a 4-2-3-1 has slimmed the slots to two.
Crucially for Firpo, minding his own business at full-back, there is a knock-on effect. In a fully fit and match sharp squad, Kalvin Phillips immediately takes away one of those midfield slots in the double-pivot.
Adam Forshaw, Robin Koch, Lewis Bate, Mateusz Klich and Jamie Shackleton are all competing to partner Phillips in the centre. Even allowing for Klich as an option in the advanced central role behind the striker, that’s something of a bottleneck.
