Good Morning. It's Thursday 14th December, and here are the latest headlines from Elland Road
Is Spence the answer to Leeds LB woesNobody loves an inverted footballer more than Daniel Farke. Fielding a right footed player on the left, or vise-versa may be an alien concept to many, but for the Leeds Manager, its a big part of his tactical game, which has seen Crysencio Summerville's morph from misfit to best player in the Championship overnight.
Leeds struggles at left back stretch back years. Long gone are the days of Tony Dorigo and Ian Harte; these days the player wearing the No 3 shirt is synonymous as being the chink in the Leeds Utd armour.
When Djed Spence arrived on a season long loan, fans were ecstatic to see the Spurs ace bomb up and down the right channel, but a freak knee injury in training, and a loss of form to Leeds vice Captain Luke Ayling saw Archie Gray plucked out of midfield, to plug the gap.
It's an area of the field the 17yo knows well; having represented King and Country in that role many times at youth level. Now that Spence is on the mend, Farke must try to find somewhere else where Spence can slot in. Farke is keen not to pile too many miles on Gray's clock too soon, so moving him back to midfield is not an option, at least not at the moment.
We saw Spence start his first game for the Whites on Tuesday evening, and he didn't disappoint. Operating at left wing back, the England U21 ace received an outstanding 7.2 'Sofascore' rating, second only to Summerville.
Would Leeds be foolish to invest Millions in a new left back, when Spence is more than good enough to operate down the left channel. Is the Spurs loanee better than Gray at right back? Would you prefer to see Gray moved back to midfield?
Is Meslier's continued criticism justifiedWith seven clean sheets this season, Illan Meslier boasts the second best record in the Championship for not conceding, yet is still a target for the Leeds boo boys.
The 23yo is enjoying his fifth season at Elland Road, and already boasts 123 appearances. He has been a regular starter under Daniel Farke, playing every league game so far. Many were convinced that the former French U21 International was going to lose his jersey to experienced shot-stopper Karl Darlow following his £400,000 move from Newcastle Utd, but apart from a disappointing Cup game, hasn't had a look in.
Meslier has the fifth lowest percentage saves in the Championship (64.3%), but is the criticism justified? It always seems that opposition keepers turn into World beaters when playing against Leeds, but only need one clear cut chance to score against us. Is this the case, or are you happy with Meslier between the sticks?
