Kalvin Phillips issue obvious but 'chief entertainers' left rueing what might have been - Leeds United Talking Points

“It is an entertainment business and they, for me, have been the no 1 entertainers in our league this year,” said the former Liverpool star on Sky Sports.

Souness readily admitted that United’s style of football also presented the risk of shipping in goals.

Forty-seven minutes later, Marcelo Bielsa’s Whites had leaked in four of them.

Yet Leeds again emerged with great credit despite their latest defeat and rueing one that got away given their stirring fightback in the second half.

The focus now again falls on how the Whites can further improve and finding ways of coping without Kalvin Phillips must be near the top of the list.

In times of Phillips’ absence, Pascal Struijk has deputised in the holding midfield role but there is little doubt that Struijk is best deployed as a centre-back.

Struijk himself has admitted he has been more comfortable playing back at the heart of United’s defence of late in which he has formed a solid and crucial partnership next to captain Liam Cooper.

Yet Struijk was again tasked with filling the central defensive midfield role against the Gunners despite Jamie Shackleton coming into the side as the only change in the absence of Phillips who missed out with a calf injury.

Shackleton instead slotted in at right-back as Luke Ayling shifted over to centre back but Leeds looked all at sea in a very sobering first half.

Quite what the solution is remains to be seen but injured defensive duo Diego Llorente or Robin Koch might well be United’s next best option as a back-up CDM whilst Shackleton, Stuart Dallas and Mateusz Klich are potentially other options to play there, as well as Adam Forshaw when he finally gets fit.

Struijk will also naturally improve in the position given more practice and filling the boots of a player in Phillips who has now established himself as an England international is no easy task.

Bielsa admitted himself post match that not being able to count on Phillips was a disadvantage and praised the efforts of Struijk, Ayling and Shackleton in their selected positions.

Bielsa also highlighted his side’s inability to break Arsenal’s circulation and the importance of the roles of Arsenal duo Granit Xhaka and Dani Ceballos.

Whites keeper Illan Meslier also had a rare half to forget and an uphill task then became a mountainous one after Pierre Emerick Aubameyang but the Gunners 4-0 up shortly after the break.

It is also worth remembering that Leeds are still a newly-promoted side for whom the chief objective this season is staying up. With 23 games now played, the Whites are still 14 points clear of the dropzone and sit in 11th with an impressive haul of 32 points.

Aubameyang played down suggestions that his side were feeling nervous as Leeds pulled two goals back and Bielsa said he was unsure if his side deserved a draw.

But whilst Arsenal also twice hit the woodwork, United might well have got something and certainly would have but for their sloppy first half.

Quite why Leeds improved so much after the break was the million-dollar question with Bielsa only really changing things from an attacking sphere with the introductions of Helder Costa,

Tyler Roberts and debutant Niall Huggins as Jack Harrison, a not fully fit Mateusz Klich and Gjanni Alioski all came off.

Bielsa explained that essentially the second half was the opposite of the first but Stuart Dallas shifted to left-back which seemed to leave Leeds in better shape and likewise when Shackleton moved inside.

It’s also worth remembering that as a newly-promoted side Leeds faced a huge task even before kick off with a lengthy list of injuries via Phillips, Llorente, Rodrigo, Koch, Gaetano Berardi, Ian Poveda and Forshaw all being out.

Not bad at all then that, ultimately, Leeds were far from disgraced and left feeling ‘what might have been’.

https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/sport/football/leeds-united/graeme-souness-pays-leeds-united-ultimate-compliment-and-after-arsenal-loss-3134628

https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/sport/football/leeds-united/yorkshire-evening-post-launch-leeds-united-only-digital-subscription-ahead-premier-league-campaign-2967964

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Thank you Laura Collins