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3 Leeds United changes Marcelo Bielsa must consider for the trip to Wolves

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Leeds United face Wolves at Molineux this Friday and Marcelo Bielsa has decisions to make with his starting lineup after a poor showing against Arsenal.

The Whites chief was forced into making a handful of changes to his setup at Arsenal on Sunday, with one change in Jamie Shackleton made.

What the main aspect of this was that Kalvin Phillips’ injury led to a trio of switches in the defence, as now the holding midfield, right-centre-back and right-back slots had to be reshuffled.

It ultimately led to a 4-2 defeat and there is food for thought in the Leeds camp ahead of a trip to a Wolves side underachieving this season, but still posing immense threats in attack.

Here, we explore three changes that Marcelo Biesla must consider for Friday’s clash…

Struijk’s best position

Pascal Struijk was the man chosen to step into the role of Phillips at the weekend and while he scored his first Leeds goal, it was a tough afternoon for him.

The 21-year-old has shown his great talent as a centre-back and it was clear to see that he looked out of sorts when pushed into the midfield.

Not many in the Premier League will be able to play with the same quality and intensity that Phillips can in that role, so it’s less a fault of Struijk but a symptom of the standards Phillips has set.

What we do know is that Struijk has been outstanding at centre-back and should return to that position.

Perhaps there is a chance for Mateusz Klich or Jamie Shackleton to move into holding midfield, with our swift passing set to be the key to unlocking Wolves.

Full-back rejig

With Struijk’s position vacated, Luke Ayling moved inside against Arsenal to cover.

What happens then is that one of the most consistent performers in the team is no longer playing in the position that he’s done so wellup in.

Ayling simply has to play right-back in order to get the best out of himself and also Raphinha, with the pair forming a very strong partnership on that flank.

On the other side, Gjanni Alioski’s performance leaves question marks over how to remedy the left-back slot.

Stuart Dallas presents our best option at left-back and could be the solution to what will be a similar problem against Wolves, as Adama Traore is set to feature.

With Ayling at right-back and Dallas at left-back we have our best options there, and then Shackleton can be deployed in midfield where he is better off.

Tyler Roberts in

The Welsh international hasn’t had the greatest start to life back in the Premier League, but his stint off the bench against Arsenal has shown signs that he’s ready for a start.

Coming on at half time, he tipped the balance of the game into Leeds’ favour and was a constant force in attack, setting Helder Costa’s goal for 4-2.

His decision making and trouble with breaching defences has been somewhat concerning in the top flight but against Arsenal he was looking to get behind the Gunners all the time and gave us a different option alongside Bamford.

With Rodrigo set to be out for the foreseeable future, it only makes sense that Roberts gets the nod this Friday.

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Leeds United season ticket holder since 2013/14, currently situated in the middle of the FA5 noise. From Pablo Hernandez to 5-1 drubbings, I've seen it all at Elland Road.