Jesse Marsch spent much of pre-season trying to find a left-back solution following Junior Firpo’s injury in July. The former Barcelona man was ruled out for the first month of the season after picking up a knock in Leeds United’s friendly win over Blackpool at the LNER Community Stadium in York and that provided Marsch with unwelcome uncertainty.
The head coach spoke openly about the potential of dipping into the transfer market to find a new man. It was a move that saw the club reassess their summer requirements after initially putting their confidence in Firpo to make the spot his own and kick on after a difficult first season at Elland Road.
However, progress on that front has been slow, with Leeds struggling to find the right man to bolster their full-back ranks. In the meantime, Marsch has used the depth of his squad to fill the Firpo-shaped hole.
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During the club’s tour of Australia, the American experimented with his side. Leif Davis was given the chance to stake a claim before his exit to Ipswich Town, while Leo Hjelde and Jack Harrison were options Marsch was keen to see in action on the left side of Leeds’s four-man backline.
However, Pascal Struijk was always considered to be the front runner for the role and it came as no surprise to see the Dutchman line up on the flank ahead of Leeds’ opening day win over Wolves at Elland Road and once more at Southampton the week after. Struijk’s performances in those opening two weeks of action were perfectly fine, playing well for large periods with moments of inexperience in the position coming on occasion.
They were to be expected and given the lack of time he has spent in the role previously, it was always going to take some time to adjust and to get used to it in Firpo’s absence. What Struijk produced on Sunday, though, was a faultless performance.
The defender never gave Kai Havertz, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Reece James an inch as he joined in the press, kept his discipline and made life difficult for Thomas Tuchel’s Blues, who lacked the answers and the know-how needed to break down Leeds’ stubborn defence. He made his tackles, cleared his line and remained in control, even in those moments when Chelsea were applying pressure with their build-up play.
Every pass found its target and while he didn’t offer much going forward, remaining disciplined was undoubtedly his brief and that’s exactly what he did. The likes of Tyler Adams, Brenden Aaronson and Rodrigo have hoovered up the plaudits from Sunday’s performance and rightfully so, but Struijk’s performance deserves a nod, too, as he continues to grow into the role.
The game was recognised to be the 23-year-old’s biggest test yet in a Leeds shirt and he more than held his own. As such, with Firpo just a week or two away from full fitness and contention, Marsch may find himself being reluctant to change things.
Firpo is by no means guaranteed a spot in the Leeds line-up and while Struijk is somewhat looking the part, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the American keep faith with the former Netherlands youth international, who currently finds himself on top of the Premier League tackle chart, having made 15 in three games, two more than his United teammate Adams.
Struijk started the campaign as a makeshift left-back option, but should he build on his showing against Chelsea, he seems more than capable of making that spot his own down the line.
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