Marcelo Bielsa’s defensive worries deepened ahead of Friday’s game against West Ham United after Diego Llorente was added to the injury list.
Bielsa’s Defensive Worries Deepen
Defender Sidelined
Llorente suffered a muscular problem in the defeat to Chelsea and, during his press conference, the Leeds United boss Bielsa confirmed the injury: “He has a muscular problem. We won’t be able to count on him for at least two weeks but we will have to see how long it takes to cure.
“Perhaps it may last longer depending on his evolution – for sure at least two or three weeks we won’t be able to count on him.”
The Spaniard suffered the costly injury late into the game against the Blues, but it is yet another setback for the 27-year old who missed Leeds’ opening ten games because of injury.
Rubbing Salt on to the Wounds
This comes after main central defender Robin Koch underwent surgery this week to fix his knee problem which saw him limp off early in the Chelsea game.
Speaking ahead of the game against West Ham on Friday, Bielsa gave an update on the surgery: “Koch’s surgery went well. The length of his absence depends on the evolution, but he is likely to be out for three months.”
The German international has impressed since signing for the Yorkshire club in the summer, starting in all 11 league games so far this season, and also impressed whilst on international duty.
Bielsa’s Defensive Worries Played Down
Marcelo Bielsa seemed to downplay that he lacked defensive options as he said: “In the game against Aston Villa, (Luke) Ayling played as a centre-back and played a very good game.
“In the game at Liverpool, Pascal (Struijk) played a very good game. In the Championship, Phillips played as centre-back and adapted to this role.
“We’re not thinking of the possibility of bringing another defender into the team. We also expect to count on (Gaetano) Berardi from February.”
Leeds host West Ham at Elland Road on Friday evening, with both teams looking to get back to winning ways. Both sides currently sit in mid-table and have impressed so far this season and will be looking to establish themselves ahead of a busy Christmas period.
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