Here are your Leeds United morning headlines for Thursday, 22 October.
Bielsa equipped to deal with Phillips loss - McLeish
Former Scotland manager Alex McLeish believes Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa will be able to deal with the loss of key man Kalvin Phillips.
Phillips faces up to six weeks on the sidelines after injuring his shoulder in Leeds’ defeat by Wolverhampton Wanderers on Monday.
And while the England international has been a crucial cog in Bielsa’s machine, McLeish is confident that Bielsa will have contingency plans.
“That’s the greatness of Bielsa, he’ll probably have different systems in his mind as well and he’s now got to cope with it,” McLeish told Football Insider.
“The key is does he have someone to fill the position or will he have to change it around a little bit?
“Bielsa knows not only one system but many others.”
Leeds’ record without Phillips
Phillips’ importance to Bielsa’s Leeds is highlighted by the team’s record with and without the 24-year-old midfielder.
In 84 league games with Phillips in the side, Leeds have secured 47 wins and 18 draws with only 19 defeats. They have scored 139 goals and conceded 78 with an average of 1.89 points per game.
They have, however, lost five of their 13 games without Phillips, winning the other eight. Their points-per-game tally dips to 1.84, too, so Bielsa may consider a change now that he has lost him.
With fitness issues for Diego Llorente and Liam Cooper, too, Bielsa’s squad is being tested ahead of a tough run of fixtures.
Villa boss Smith on failed Phillips pursuit
Aston Villa boss Dean Smith has recalled his club’s failed attempts to try and lure Phillips away from Elland Road.
Phillips was linked with a move away from Leeds following the Whites’ failed promotion push in 2018/19 only to stay and play a key role in last season’s Championship-winning campaign.
And Smith has recalled his previous interest in the player as Leeds prepare to travel to second-placed Villa on Friday night.
"He was on a list of players that we were interested in," he said.
"As far as I was aware it never got past initial talks stage with the price tag they wanted and rightly so if you look at their season last year and what they're going now.”
