Leeds United welcomes Merseyside club, Everton, to Elland Road this weekend. The fans missed out on welcoming back their heroes last season, after they achieved promotion to the Premier League for the first time in 16 years, due to COVID-19, and will be brimming with excitement for what will be their first full capacity game at Elland Road. The historic outfit are known for their raucous support and will without a doubt be singing their hearts out to the clubs’ rendition of ‘Marching On Together’.
Leeds United were humbled at Old Trafford against Manchester United in the first match, as they suffered a 5-1 thrashing at the hands of their fierce rivals. However, Marcelo Bielsa and his men will be looking to bounce back against Everton.
The fans were in full voice as they cheered their players, hoping for a miracle result at Old Trafford. There will certainly be a few changes to the lineup after that defeat, and it remains to see how Bielsa will pick his players up after a big opening day loss.
Rafa Benitez got off to a winning start in his Everton managerial career, at home against Southampton, coming back from a goal down to win 3-1. Benitez will hope to continue that form against Leeds United as he looks to get Everton back into the top half of the table. He has set about the right way to make himself endeared to the Goodison Park faithful and received a warm ovation (surprisingly/unsurprisingly) at the end of the game. His appointment was met with some negative reviews from Evertonians after his connections with city rivals Liverpool, but if he can produce results, it will definitely make him a hero at Everton and in the eyes of the fans.
The stage is set for a spicy clash between these two teams. Both teams have managers who are great tacticians and are considered as the best in that field. It will be a tasty battle of wits and tactics not just for both sets of fans, but neutrals as well.
MATCH OFFICIALS:
Referee: Darren England.
Assistants: Eddie Smart, Dan Robathan.
Fourth Official: Andre Marriner.
VAR: Kevin Friend.
Assistant VAR: Adrian Holmes.
WHEN AND WHERE?
Venue: Elland Road
Date: Saturday, 21st August 2021.
Time: 3.00 pm BST
TEAM NEWS:
LEEDS UNITED:
Leeds United were without their midfield commander Kalvin Phillips, as he started on the bench after being given an extended holiday. Robin Koch started in his place and struggled against Man United. Phillips will be expected to start against Everton on Saturday. Defender Diego Llorente missed out on the trip to Old Trafford, and Bielsa revealed that he could be sidelined for a week or two, making him a doubt for Saturday. That has left Leeds United a bit weak in defense, considering their lack of signings.
EVERTON:
James Rodriguez has ruled himself out for the clash against Leeds for the Toffees after he is said to be isolating as a precaution against the rising cases of COVID-19. This news comes just as the Colombian is said to be plotting a move away from the club, with manager Benitez hinting that James is not part of his plans for the future. The midfielder was speaking to fans on Twitch, when he said, “Everton are playing but I am not going to play”. Fellow midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson is also out after allegedly being suspended by the club.
MATCH ANALYSIS:
Leeds United’s Possession Problems:
Although Man United on Saturday were the more dominant team in possession, their best plays and chances came when Leeds were in possession. When Leeds were pressed high-up, they were forced into mistakes which led to often gifting the ball to the opposition in dangerous areas. This is an area that Marcelo Bielsa will have to address, with Leeds determined to play the way they always play, even when they are a goal down. Meslier often had to play long passes to find players from goal kicks, with United pressing both center-backs, which led to turnovers. This will be noted by Bielsa, who will no doubt get to fixing it in training.
Bielsa’s Midfield Conundrum:
Owing to a lack of pre-season and match fitness, Kalvin Phillips was named on the bench for the Yorkshire team. This would prove to be costly, as Robin Koch, his replacement, was constantly found out by Man United midfield and struggled massively at Old Trafford. This also shows the lack of quality squad depth in the Leeds midfield, with no perfect replacement in case Phillips is unavailable.
This game also highlighted the importance of Kalvin Phillips to Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds. Kalvin has made that holding midfield position his own and had a brilliant Euro 2020. Without him, Leeds could not build up efficiently and they found it difficult to recover the ball Bielsa’s way.
KEY PLAYERS:
Leeds United: Patrick Bamford
Bamford will no doubt be the man to score the goals for Leeds United this season (again).
However, his speedy rise hit a speed bump at Old Trafford where he had a very quiet afternoon outing. He pressed well while out of possession but had no clear chances for a shot on goal but that could be said for the whole squad. He was isolated by the opposition defense and could only muster one shot and was hooked just before 80 minutes.
Bamford will no doubt be the man to watch this season, and if his exploits from last season are any proof, he will once again be the star man to lead Leeds United.
Everton: Dominic Calvert-Lewin
Another striker who had a successful 2020/21 season, Calvert-Lewin went one step further than Bamford as his performances helped him get a spot in the England National Team for the Euro 2020. (although he was used sparingly).
The Englishman netted sixteen goals last season and he was on the scoresheet yet again in the first game of the season, with a wonderful diving header to seal a comeback Everton win at Goodison Park against Southampton.
With Richarlison in wonderful form as well, and new signing Demarai Gray fitting in well, Calvert-Lewin will have excellent service and should have more chances this season. He will be expected to challenge for the Golden Boot once again, along with Bamford, and the matchup between these two will be a delight to watch – come Saturday.
PREDICTED LINEUP:
LEEDS UNITED XI: Illan Meslier, Luke Ayling, Robin Koch, Liam Cooper, Junior Firpo; Kalvin Phillips; Stuart Dallas, Rodrigo Moreno, Jack Harrison, Raphina; Patrick Bamford.
EVERTON XI: Jordan Pickford; Seamus Coleman, Michael Keane, Mason Holgate, Lucas Digne; Abdoulaye Doucoure, Allan; Demarai Gray, Andros Townsend, Richarlison; Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
