Leeds United Chat • Re: The #LUFC Breakfast Debate (Friday 4th February) - Is Leeds United's injury crisis finally over?

To say we rely on a core of the side Bielsa inherited would be untrue. If you took players that were at the club from Bielsa's first match in time then ones that would likely start now would be - Dallas, KP, Bamford, Harrison and Ayling. Cooper and Klich would be maybes to start, and you could easily knock the figure down to 4 if you put James in for Harrison, but we'd need to see who Bielsa picked if everyone was available. So you are talking 6 changes to the starting line up which would be a healthy evolution over 3 summers of transfers, especially considering that the first summer of transfers we were still a championship side and there was no need for wholesale changes given we'd finished 3rd.

So really it is 6/7 starting places that have been 'upgraded' in just 1 1/2 seasons of premiership football. That isn't exactly clinging to a core but merely a reasoanble evolution of a football team that has got promoted. Out of the 'championship' starters then I think KP has more than justified keeping him, Bamford did likewise last season. Dallas got player of the year last season so why would there be a need to replace him. Ayling and Harrison have shown enough to show they are good enough at this level.

So yes it is easy to make sweeping statements about replacing etc but proper examination of the actual circumstances show that where necessary changes have been made and there is no need to jump into making other changes. Given we don't have a bottomlesspit of money it makes sesnse not to rush to replace those that don't yet need replacing.

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