How much time will Patrick Bamford be given?
Despite having his star striker available in his first game as Leeds United manager, Jesse Marsch resisted the urge to call for Patrick Bamford with his Leeds side 1-0 down at the King Power stadium.
Leeds' new manager said that he didn't feel he could call on Bamford for as long as he needed his substitutes to feature against Leicester. But he has stated his number nine will 'for sure' feature against Aston Villa on Thursday, although it won't be from the start.
The question will be: when will he call for the striker? Leeds will hope to take the lead, which they haven't done since the away match against Villa in early February. However, if they are chasing the game, Marsch might be tempted to call on Bamford earlier than he might like to.
The plan to contain Coutinho
In the 3-3 draw at Villa Park, Coutinho had a stunning period in the first half, during which he created two goals and scored one himself. That was from his position on the left hand-side.
However, last weekend he featured in the number ten position, thriving against Southampton as his team won 4-0.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Marsch referenced a plan to contain the Brazilian.
He said: "Certainly, everyone knows that Coutinho is a great player. And and I think that, you know, it'll be really important for us to make it tight for him, to not give him much room, to be aggressive with him.
"So clearly not an easy task, but not one that will be handled by one person, it'll be a group effort."
How Leeds manage that particular task could be crucial in the final result.
Elland Road reception for Marsch
This game marks not only Marsch's first home game since becoming Leeds manager but also the first game since Marcelo Bielsa was sacked. Therefore the atmosphere could be a torn one at times, with a desire to lament the departure of a legendary coach in Bielsa, as well as wanting to show support and welcome Marsch.
The American spoke of his excitement of playing in front of the home fans and all involved with be aware of the tension of the situation at hand, so a riotous atmosphere in support of the team is to be expect.
Different tactical set up from February
This game should play out very differently to the 3-3 draw. The players will likely be similar but both teams are now utilising different formations - Villa in a 4-4-2 diamond and Leeds played 4-2-2-2 in Marsch's first game - meaning things could play out very differently.
As well as the formations, Leeds are now pressing in a ball-oriented manner, instead of a man-oriented manner, meaning they will not be as easily manipulated by opposition runs to create space.
Jacob Ramsey's two goals came from runs through the middle of the pitch but the 4-2-2-2 is designed to pack the centre of the pitch so Leeds should be less vulnerable in that area this time around.
Can Tyrone Mings cope with the new Leeds press?
In the first half of the previous fixture, Leeds had a lot of joy by pressing Tyrone Mings and causing errors from the Villa centre-back.
He will now face a different type of Leeds United press, with multiple players bearing down on him if they feel they can win the ball. If Leeds can force the same amount of errors from him, they could lead to big chances and hopefully the win.
