Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Leeds United player Carlton Palmer gave his verdict on the duel currently taking place between Helder Costa and Jack Harrison to get into Marcelo Bielsa’s starting XI.
In the recent 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa, it was Costa who started on the opposite flank to man of the moment Raphinha. Prior, however, Harrison was the player to be given the nod against Wolves in a match that also saw Leeds lose to a single goal.
It remains to be seen who out of Costa and Harrison will start in the Yorkshire club’s upcoming fixtures, and Palmer expects such a theme to continue in the long run as Bielsa adapts on a game-by-game basis.
Will Bielsa be at Leeds next season?
Yes
No
In an exclusive interview with FFC, where Palmer discussed the two players, the retired England international said:
“That all depends [Costa v Harrison], doesn’t it? The way Bielsa plays, you know, sometimes you play certain players because you want to play a certain system, you’re playing a certain team, you think one player might be more effective than the other.
“So I think a lot of that will just depend on the opposition that they’re playing, simple as. Teams do that, Man City do that, they play certain players for certain oppositions, and some players have to sit out. That’s just the way it is.
“It’s tactical. The manager might look at that player and think he might be more effective against that team playing in that system.”
Whatever the case, each player will bring his own qualities, with Harrison, in particular, likely to be pleased with what he has brought to the table in his debut Premier League campaign.
In Leeds’ squad, his six goals are only bettered by the 13 top scorer Patrick Bamford has dispatched. The 24-year-old has also racked up four assists along the way, a tally only Bamford, Raphinha and Mateusz Klich have surpassed (all five, per WhoScored).