Raphinha and Jack Harrison could be key if Leeds United are to exploit Manchester United issue

Marcelo Bielsa’s wingers head to Old Trafford off the back of impressive displays against Newcastle United.

Raphinha was everywhere in the first half. He popped up in the box to meet crosses and dropping balls and terrified his marker with his movement off the ball.

When Leeds were moving forward at pace, Raphinha would dart in and out in an attempt to unbalance the defender tracking him, keeping his man guessing as to his intentions.

Going inside allowed him to pop up in dangerous positions in and around the area and led to shooting chances. Going outside brought the cross from which Patrick Bamford eventually headed into the net.

His close control allowed him to receive the ball under pressure and still keep it, showing wisdom in what he elected to do next, knowing when to give an easy pass and when to try something more adventurous.

The Brazilian went quiet for a spell after the break but roared back to life when the game was stretched, countering to devastating effect and helping to set up Gjanni Alioski’s goal.

Harrison’s individual performance was an example of the patience and persistence Bielsa preaches, shrugging off several unsuccessful crossing attempts and a frustrating first half to finally pick out Rodrigo for the Spaniard’s goal with his trickiest left-wing delivery of the night.

The Manchester City loanee put in a remarkable shift for Bielsa and, despite at one stage with 15 minutes or so to go looking like he might be flagging, he found extra reserves of energy from somewhere to twice run from his own half in Leeds counterattacks.

When Pablo Hernandez rolled the ball across the area for Alioski to finish, Harrison was on his shoulder. When Hernandez picked up the ball from a cleared Newcastle corner and played it to Harrison, he raced all the way to the final third and uncorked a magnificent strike, high into the net.

The quality of both the assist and the goal were breaktaking but keeping faith in both the plan and his own ability when so much of his earlier work had come to nought was equally impressive.

“The construction of the offensive game is one of the most difficult things in football,” said Bielsa after the 5-2 win.

“To find a man with a cross is not very easy during a game. The area always has plenty of players inside it. It’s very difficult for the person who crosses to find a man.”

Manchester United haven’t made it difficult enough for some opponents to find a man with crosses, this season, hence the potential for Harrison and Raphinha to once again play starring roles.

What they do with their crosses and how they, along with full-backs Gjanni Alioski and Stuart Dallas, attack balls that come from the opposite flank could be hugely beneficial for Leeds.

Individual errors and an apparent lack of defensive organisation have made Manchester United’s backline a target for criticism but, whatever the root cause of their problems, the result has, more often than they’d like, been a back-post finish.

In their Champions League defeat by RB Leipzig, Manchester United looked suspect defending deliveries that came from both sides, failing to stop crosses, pick up back-post runners and losing men in the middle for good measure.

Against West Ham, they conceded a goal from a corner that was finished off by a free man at the back post and Jarrod Bowen very nearly found the net later on when he ran in alone off his flank to meet a ball from the right.

İstanbul Başakşehir’s winner against the Red Devils came when they nicked the ball out wide and punished Manchester United on the transition, a ball rolled to the back post allowing Edin Visca to arrive in acres of space and lash home.

The problem has been there since the start of the season, Andros Townsend’s opener in the 3-1 Crystal Palace win at Old Trafford coming from a left-wing delivery that he met at the back stick.

Solly March scored from a right-wing cross that went all the way through in Manchester United’s 3-2 win over Brighton, their second Premier League outing.

Although every team can be punished for giving the ball away and being slow to get themselves set defensively, those goals are not the only examples of the Red Devils leaving the back door open. Leeds will hope to continue the theme.

The execution might not always be there for the Whites when a deep cross is delivered but the threat, carried by numerous bodies, almost always is.

Bielsa’s team flood the box for attacks regardless of the scoreline or the time on the clock and work the ball wide, often.

They counter, well, and target the back post – both Harrison and Alioski like to push in to try and get on the end of right-sided balls and, as Newcastle found out, Raphinha has license to roam off his touchline to provide support for Bamford when a left-sided cross is on.

There is joy to be found at the back post, expect Harrison and Raphinha to go looking.