Here is your Leeds United morning digest for Wednesday, December 16.
Paul Robinson expects changes
Paul Robinson expects Marcelo Bielsa to ring the changes for Wednesday evening's match against Newcastle United.
Leeds slumped to their second successive defeat on Friday night in a 2-1 loss to West Ham United, and Robinson believes that Bielsa will make alterations to his starting XI as he searches for a response.
"He’s changing things," the former Leeds goalkeeper told MOT Leeds News. "Dropping Costa and bringing Raphinha in is a sign that he’s unhappy. Even if Leeds are losing, if they’re playing well he doesn’t change things.
"But we’ve seen Costa dropped and Harrison substituted at half-time in the last game. Those wing positions looked so solid at the start of the season but those two players aren’t putting their hands up and grabbing the shirt at the moment. There are two positions between four players and no one’s making them their own.
"I’d be really surprised if he doesn’t change it up for Newcastle, I think the team needs freshening up a bit. It will be interesting to see who plays.
"After the Arsenal and Everton games, the team picked itself, but the last two performances haven’t been anywhere near those. I think he’ll change it up. He’s going to have to look to use his full squad over the festive period."
How Newcastle can hurt Leeds
Newcastle can hurt Leeds from set-pieces when the pair face one another on Wednesday, says Newcastle reporter Sean McCormick of Chronicle Live.
Leeds have been vulnerable at defensive set-plays so far this season, and McCormick adds that Newcastle could be the perfect team to take advantage.
"Definitely," he told Leeds Live when asked whether Newcastle will look to exploit Leeds' set-piece shortcomings. "It may not have come from a set-piece, but Saturday's winning goal showed how dangerous Newcastle can be from wide areas. Jacob Murphy's delivery was pinpoint and Dwight Gayle's bullet header was unstoppable.
"They also gained success from out wide against Burnley earlier this season. They have won crucial penalties from set-piece deliveries against Tottenham Hotspur and Everton, while Murphy scored direct from a free-kick against Wolves in October.
"If Fernandez and Ciaran Clark start at centre-half, they have proven pedigree of scoring from set-pieces for Newcastle, while Matt Ritchie and Jonjo Shelvey, on their day, are among the best in the division from set-play opportunities."
Updated January Premier League fixtures
On Tuesday, the Premier League unveiled the updated fixture list for January, with five Leeds matches rearranged for television. You can read the full details here.
They begin 2021 with a trip to Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday lunchtime, the game being moved into the early slot on BT Sport. Two weeks later, they face Brighton on Saturday, January 16 at 3pm on Sky Sports.
On Wednesday, January 20, they play Southampton, with the kick-off moved forward to 6pm. This will also be shown on Sky Sports.
On Tuesday, January 26, Leeds travel to Newcastle, who they face on Wednesday, for another 6pm kick-off. This will be televised on BT Sport. They then finally close out the month with a trip to Leicester City at 2pm on Sunday, January 31 on Sky Sports.
