Leeds United capable of dealing with Rodrigo blow and fantastic opportunity beckons for Gaetano Berardi - David Prutton

Leeds put in extremely good work in those two games and then against Everton on Wednesday they basically came up against the woodwork and a goalkeeper in pretty decent form in Robin Olsen.

But over the stretch of those three games, Leeds have got to be extremely happy with what they have seen and what they have managed to get out of themselves.

Like with any stretch of games that we have looked at, perspective is needed.

You can’t get too carried away in beating a team like Newcastle who have struggled but also don’t get too carried away by beating Leicester who have been absolutely fantastic.

Then with regards to the Everton game, but for having the rub of the green and but for a goalkeeper in inspired form, you get the feeling that Leeds would have got something from that too, even if that sounds a bit airy fairy.

Leeds have been hit with two injury blows this week with record signing Rodrigo and Ian Poveda now out and Whites head coach Marcelo Bielsa says it will be weeks as opposed to days before they return.

Rodrigo’s absence has meant a gap in the no 10 role and Pablo Hernandez, Tyler Roberts and Mateusz Klich have all been able to play in there over the last two and a half years, more so Pablo than the other two.

Rodrigo was just starting to hit some form and Leeds were getting consistent appearances out of him and it meant the no 10 position was one that Leeds were able to box off.

But that’s now something that Leeds have got to deal with and injuries are seeming par for the course this season as summer signings Diego Llorente and Robin Koch are also out.

I don’t know whether the injuries have anything to do with how hectic this season is or maybe it is just a bit of bad luck with the players they have signed but not many of the new signings have stayed fit.

But we know how hectic the Premier League is and we also know how hectic Marcelo’s training regime is.

It’s unfortunate but Leeds have got players to step in and I still believe that Leeds have got a football team and a squad there that is greater than the sum of its parts.

There is a team in there that should be very confident of finishing the season in the Premier League and you still have to talk like that - in terms of staying up - even though they have beaten Newcastle and given Leicester a decent game.

Tonight’s clash against Crystal Palace is next and Wilfried Zaha is out but Eberechi Eze has been doing well.

Zaha has been Palace’s talisman for such a long time but Palace have had decent results in the last couple of weeks with the 2-1 win at Newcastle and the 1-0 victory at home to Wolves.

Leeds have got to be looking for revenge following the 4-1 defeat at Selhurst Park in November which was a game that got away from them very quickly having been very close.

There were decisions that were made with regards to offside that we won’t go into which meant that the game turned very quickly and Leeds came away with a 4-1 defeat rather than it being something much more closer than that.

But given where the two teams are in the league on equal points it should make for a pretty decent game.

Leeds will also be boosted by the return to training of Gaetano Berardi this week and Berardi has been out since tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in the 3-1 win at Derby County last July.

It was the game in which Leeds celebrated going up as champions with the Derby guard of honour and since then Berardi has been sidelined and looking on seeing what the club have done.

But every member of this Leeds United squad has been a part of the celebration coming back into the Premier League.

Some players will obviously have played a different volume of games to others but it’s a squad that gets promoted, not just a single team.

And this is now a wonderful opportunity for Berardi to come back and play a part in the second half of the season.

He is a player we have looked at for several seasons now and I remember doing a couple of Leeds games in the Championship where you would look at him in the back line and think Leeds might look a little bit shaky.

But there has been a progression with the whole team moving forward and I think he has been firmly part of that.

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Thank you Laura Collins