Leeds can spring two surprises in a week
Monday evening sees another big game in the Premier League take place as the season starts to reach its decisive phase. Leeds United shocked the world with their last-gasp win over leaders Manchester City last week, in a game in which they were completely dominated but still stole victory a man light. Meanwhile, visitors Liverpool came from behind to beat Aston Villa by the same 2-1 scoreline, only to then be held to a stalemate by Real Madrid and with it, exit from the Champions League at the quarter final stage. At the time of writing, none of the weekend's games have taken place yet, and the Reds are running out of matches to put pressure on the current top four. Read our preview here:
Kalvin's in vogue
Head coach Marcelo Bielsa has done an admirable job in the West Yorkshire outfit's first term back in the top tier for over a decade, with an equal number of wins and losses seeing them in 10th and level on points with Arsenal, which few pundits would've predicted with just seven fixtures left to play. Whilst Patrick Bamford has claimed plenty of the plaudits, other members of the squad have risen to prominence, too. Kalvin Phillips has established himself as a serious contender to make England manager Gareth Southgate's final roster for the rescheduled Euro 2020 this summer. The Three Lions' roster is replete with talent, but there are few true defensive midfield options aside from veteran Jordan Henderson, who remains sidelined and won't line up in red at Elland Road on Monday. Phillips possesses the ideal skillset for a modern pivot, allying the defensive strengths of being strong in the air, the tackle, and cutting off passing lanes to imposing himself on the game more positively himself, especially through set pieces and trying through balls.. On Monday, he's likely to find himself as the go-to player for Leeds to break Liverpool's counter-pressing, although he'll have little space with which to work in in an outnumbered midfield.
Submerged in the Trent
Speaking of internationals, Trent Alexander-Arnold, who might be the most talented right-back to emerge since Gary Neville, was dropped from the last squad for the FIFA World Cup qualifiers because of poor form. The 22 year old has had to adapt to an ever-changing backline because of long-term injuries to the first choice centre backs, which can't have helped his own rhythm. Even so, 2020/2021 has been poor overall by his very high standards, but he did grab the winner in the previous fixture to underline his attacking credentials and give a glimmer of hope that Liverpool's season won't end in complete failure. On his flank, Jack Harrison is a tireless worker with no shortage of penetrative skills, so he'll need to be careful not to overextend himself.
Reds or dead
Jürgen Klopp is facing serious questions over his recruitment strategy and in general for the first time since taking the job at Anfield. Emulating or replicating the delicious heights of last season was always going to be a tall order, but to go from that to ending the current term trophyless and only an outside chance of qualifying for the Champions League will have a massive impact on the club's finances and reputation to a lesser extent. The remaining fixtures, besides facing Manchester United, are relatively kind, but that has already been proven time and time again during 2020/2021 to be far from a guarantee of success. Leeds meanwhile could realistically finish as high as seventh, which would be a superb performance. betway have odds of 2.15 for them to grab at least a draw on Monday evening.
