Marcelo Bielsa has never really discussed what it means to be top of the table at any point and he’s been there for a fair amount of time in his spell with Leeds already. The Argentine coach once again heads into the weekend with injury problems, Luke Ayling and Gaetano Berardi both out for the foreseeable future.
Teams are dropping points all over the show and Leeds have been one of those sides. Sheffield United, West Bromwich Albion, Middlesbrough who all looked like they could pull away with a good run have dropped points and Norwich City have crept up into top spot. Leeds United now have the opportunity to jump back to the top ahead of a crucial period of the season. Staying in touch has always been the key in this run until Christmas but Leeds have the opportunity to really kick on now and make sure come the festive period we are firmly in the hunt.
The disruption with injuries certainly isn’t helping the cause for Marcelo Bielsa. The Berardi and Ayling news is a huge blow, the pair have already spent time out this season and now the likes of Jamie Shackleton and Stuart Dallas will be called in to play a lot more than what Bielsa probably planned. The return of Barry Douglas is a huge boost and it means that Dallas will probably be moved over to right-back for the time being.
Wigan isn’t an easy game to get around though and will be very similar to the Blackburn fixture a few weeks ago that we didn’t really turn up for. They will play in solid banks and get men behind the ball, meaning we have to navigate around the crowd, something we have really struggled with recently. When teams come at us we can do the damage but we haven’t really worked out how to break sides down who sit ten behind the ball. It’s a huge opportunity and one that Bielsa will want to make the most of.
