This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
Leeds United have a Yorkshire derby to look forward to this weekend as they prepare to face Huddersfield Town on Saturday.
On paper, this should be a routine win for the Whites as they face the Terriers who have failed to win any of their previous four games as they sit 19th in the division.
However, that doesn’t mean that Huddersfield aren’t a threat as they have one of the division’s deadliest strikers amidst their ranks, and with Leeds having to play a slightly weakened side due to Kalvin Phillips’ suspension they may struggle to deal with the threat he poses.
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Huddersfield’s talisman
If Danny Cowley’s side are going to take any points off Leeds this weekend then they’ll be looking towards Karlan Grant to carry them over the line.
The striker is fourth in the scoring charts in the Championship this term, and he’s been a shining beacon of hope in what has been a miserable season for the former Premier League side.
Normally, you would say that Leeds’ defence will have things under control as they’ve conceded just 11 goals in 19 league games this term, but a suspension to Kalvin Phillips may mean that Gaetano Berardi has to start, and Grant may be able to take full advantage of that.
Key battle.
The WhoScored stats show that this will be an interesting battle.
As you can see, Grant is absolutely clinical as he’s scored 11 goals this term despite only averaging 2.2 shots per game.
Berardi will have to make sure he doesn’t allow him a sight at goal, and with just 0.5 blocks a game from the Swiss defender he may not be up to the task of stopping the striker from finding the net.
One area in which the centre-back will have the advantage is when the ball is in the air as he wins over twice as many aerial duels as Grant.
Of course, playing out from the back is key for a Bielsa side, but Grant’s pressing may cause problems.
The striker makes 0.5 interceptions per game, and while that doesn’t sound all that great that’s a decent tally for a striker. In comparison, Patrick Bamford is often praised for his pressing, yet he hasn’t made an interception all season.
That means that Berardi will be under pressure to make sure his passing is at its best against Huddersfield, and his pass success rate of 83.2 per cent suggests that there’s a chance for Grant to take advantage of any wayward balls from the defender.
In other news, Phil Hay has named a PL striker as a potential replacement for Eddie Nketiah.