Here is your Leeds United morning digest for Monday, October 26.
Bielsa may have perfect Phillips replacement
Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa might just have found the perfect replacement for Kalvin Phillips, who could be ruled out for several weeks after suffering a shoulder injury in the defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Despite having barely featured this season, Bielsa turned to Jamie Shackleton after just 21 minutes of the 3-0 win over Aston Villa, bringing him on in place of the already-booked Pascal Struijk.
And as Nestor Watach writes for Leeds Live, Shackleton impressed in his first substantial Premier League outing of the campaign.
Shackleton’s introduction ensured a tactical shift in the Leeds midfield, with Mateusz Klich dropping deeper from his usual box-to-box role. The pair then rotated positions throughout the remainder of the match to good effect.
The Leeds boss would go on to praise Shackleton in his post-match comments. “He entered the game very well,” said Bielsa. “He was dynamic. He didn't lose the ball. He won the ball back a few times. And he had a presence in the attacking third.”
You can read Watach’s full analysis here.
Bamford receives message from Alli
Tottenham Hotspur and England star Dele Alli congratulated Patrick Bamford on his brilliant hat-trick after Friday’s 3-0 victory over Aston Villa.
Bamford opened the scoring with a poacher’s effort, turning in the loose ball from close range. His second goal was a brilliant 20-yard strike before he deftly bent a beautiful shot around Tyrone Mings and into the far corner to complete his hat-trick.
And Alli posted on Instagram after the game: “My brother @patrick_bamford. So proud and happy for you.”
Alli and Bamford played together at MK Dons, where Bamford spent the 2012/13 season on loan, scoring an impressive 18 goals.
Gabriel Agbonlahor fires back
Following Leeds’ win at Villa Park, former Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor fired back at supporters who he argued with in the build to the game.
Prior to Friday's encounter, Agbonlahor labelled Leeds as a “myth” and questioned the furore surrounding Bielsa.
“Everyone is getting excited about Bielsa, but if you’re getting that excited by Bielsa, you must be putting the red carpet down for Dean Smith,” he said on talkSPORT.
“Maybe because he’s English we don’t get too excited by him, but what he’s doing, tactics-wise, at Aston Villa, he deserves a lot of credit. I feel like people need to calm down with Leeds United at the moment.”
With Leeds overcoming Villa in emphatic fashion, many fans called out the former striker on his previous comments.
Agbonlahor, though, hit back, claiming the fans – and the club itself after Phillips highlighted his criticisms – should not be concerned with what he says now that they are in the Premier League.
“How can a club like Leeds be so affected by a tweet from Gabby Agbonlahor?” he said on talkSPORT.
“I'm getting messages from Leeds fans saying I'm a 'has been' and this and that. I totally agree so why are you so rattled by something I've tweeted?
“I don't see a club like Manchester United or Manchester City when they win a game, the talk is about a pundit saying their manager is a myth.
“You've got expect that, you're in the big league now. You will get ex-players that will try to wind up Leeds and out them off their game. It's part of being in the big league, the big time.”
