Greenwood injury leaves Leeds without any striking options
11 Jan 2022 09:03 am, by Ellandback1
Good Morning. It's Tuesday 11th January, and here are the latest headlines from Elland Road...
Greenwood injury leaves Leeds without any striking options
Leeds fans were left gobsmacked after it was revealed that Sam Greenwood picked up an injury in Leeds 2-0 defeat against West Ham last Sunday. The 19yo joins fellow forwards Rodrigo, Bamford, Gelhardt and Roberts on the treatment table, leaving Leeds without any striking options for the foreseeable future. Bamford was set to return to action against the Hammers, but picked up a yet to be identified injury which will keep the 28yo out of action for the foreseeable future.
With Pascal Sruijk, Liam Cooper, Jamie Shackleton, Kalvin Phillips, Junior Firpo and Charlie Cresswell also all sidelined, it will mean that Leeds will be without eleven players for the visit to West Ham on Sunday.
Bielsa drives his players to the limit
There's an interesting piece penned by Phil Hay in 'The Athletic' this morning. He examines Leeds unprecedented and ever-growing injury list, and firmly lays the blame with Bielsa and his team of coaches. Whilst it's easy to point the finger of blame in the direction of the coaching staff, we must remember that the Thorp Arch medical department have access to the latest tools and data to monitor the physical exertions of the players. You have to accept that over a season you will lose players to injury, and sometimes bad luck can amplify these scenarios, but when the injury list is consistently hovering around double figures, something needs to change! Has three and a half years of intense SAS like training finally caught up with the players?
Leeds United would never class muscle strains or ailments caused by fatigue as a game of chance. The clue is in the term fatigue, and like any professional medical department worth its salt, they have tools and data to monitor the physical load their squad is carrying."
In theory, a physio can see a hamstring pull or something of that nature coming because the physical stats a player compiles during training and games warn of it in advance. The so-called red zone is where the risks multiply.
Some injuries are out of the blue, some might be wear and tear. What is not in dispute is that in a typical week, Bielsa drives his players to the limit and rarely cuts corners. Many clubs collate their annual training hours for submission to FIFA and Leeds’ total is invariably well ahead of most of the European field.
The picture of intensity painted at Thorp Arch has never been a facade. It had to be this way for Bielsa’s methods to work and it will be this way until his last day, but the environment he creates is purposely on the edge, leaving the possibility that one day it will tip over.
U23's Hammered
Mark Jackson's U23's took a second half battering at the Rush Green Stadium, the training ground of West Ham Utd last night. The young Whites went toe to toe with their East London counterparts in the first half, but found themselves out of their depth in the second. The game ended 3-0, leaving Leeds without a victory in ten league games. They have conceded 38 times in their sixteen games.
Leeds linked with Lazio flop
Various media outlets are suggesting that Leeds want to sign Lazio striker Vedat Muriqi on loan. The 6ft 4' Kosovo International has been a flop since arriving at the Stadio Olimpico sixteen months ago from Fenerbahçe for almost €20 million. In 34 appearances, the 27 year old has netted once. Hull City have also been linked to Muriqi, but have now turned their attention elsewhere.
Lazio are keen to offload Muriqi, but they would prefer to sell him, whereas Leeds are looking for a loan deal. If recent speculation is true, Leeds are only interested in loan deals this transfer window!