MX23RW : Sunday, September 29 17:07:48| >> :120:11465:11465:
[monks data]
Aston Villa logo
Premier League | Gameweek 6
Oct 23, 2020 at 8pm UK
Villa Park
Leeds logo

Aston Villa
0 - 3
Leeds


Mings (53'), Grealish (69')
FT(HT: 0-0)
Bamford (55', 67', 74')
Struijk (10'), Klich (90+1')

Marcelo Bielsa: 'We must make our possession count'

Whites head to Aston Villa on Friday.

Marcelo Bielsa has warned his Leeds players it is crucial they retain their attacking reputation or risk failing to establish themselves in the top flight.

Bielsa believes his side's failure to convert their chances against Wolves on Monday night handed their opponents the belief they required to escape with a 1-0 win at Elland Road.

And a repeat performance at unbeaten Aston Villa on Friday could further threaten the aura which accompanied Leeds into the Premier League, and was enhanced by their opening-day performance at Liverpool.

Kalvin Phillips has a shoulder injury
Kalvin Phillips has a shoulder injury (Michael Regan/PA)

Bielsa said: "In a team like us that attacks, it is not good when our attacks don't create danger.

"When this happens the opponent feels that we are not able to cause them much danger, and this makes the game more even.

"The conclusion is that we understand why we lost the game even though we shouldn't have, and we dominated the large majority of it."

Liam Cooper was injured on international duty
Liam Cooper was injured on international duty (Paul Ellis/PA)

Bielsa has injury problems ahead of the trip to Villa Park, with Kalvin Phillips ruled out for a number of weeks after picking up a serious shoulder injury.

Phillips will be replaced in midfield by Dutchman Pascal Struijk, who had stepped in for Liam Cooper on Monday after the centre-back suffered a recurrence of a recent groin injury.

Cooper remains a doubt for the trip to Villa while Diego Llorente is definitely out, also with a groin strain which he sustained on international duty.

Leeds United v Hull City – Carabao Cup – Second Round – Elland Road
Pascal Struijk will move into midfield to replace Kalvin Phillips (Phil Noble/PA)

The flexibility offered by Struijk is key to Bielsa's approach as he seeks to get the best from a squad which he insists retains strength in numbers despite the recent injury blows.

"We have many players who can play in a number of positions," added Bielsa. "Being able to play in more than one position always helps the manager.

"The squad is not small because we have two players per position, and there are no big differences between the two players who occupy each position.

"At the moment we currently have injuries in the same positions but that doesn't mean we have a small squad. We can also count on the players from the academy who deserve their spot in the squad."

ID:419313: cacheID:419313:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:7773:No Data Analysis info
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Brighton & Hove Albion's Ben White pictured in September 2020
Read Next:
Liverpool 'told to pay £50m for Ben White'
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
6pm
Rams
@
Bears
6pm
Eagles
@
Buccaneers
6pm
Steelers
@
Colts
6pm
Saints
@
Falcons
6pm
Broncos
@
Jets
6pm
Vikings
@
Packers
6pm
Bengals
@
Panthers
6pm
Jags
@
Texans
9.05pm
Patriots
@
49ers
9.05pm
Washington
@
Cardinals
9.25pm
Chiefs
@
Chargers
9.25pm
Browns
@
Raiders
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom7511125716
2Sunderland7502146815
3Blackburn RoversBlackburn7430146815
4Burnley7421134914
5Leeds UnitedLeeds7421124814
6Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd743093613
7Watford74121210213
8Middlesbrough732285311
9Swansea CitySwansea732285311
10Norwich CityNorwich7322119211
11Oxford UnitedOxford Utd7313108210
12Hull City72329819
13Derby CountyDerby7304101009
14Bristol City7232913-49
15Millwall7223121028
16Plymouth ArgylePlymouth7223811-38
17Queens Park RangersQPR7142811-37
18Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds7214914-57
19Luton TownLuton7214611-57
20Stoke CityStoke7205411-76
21Coventry CityCoventry7124611-55
22Preston North EndPreston7124412-85
23Portsmouth7043713-64
24Cardiff CityCardiff7016217-151


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!