No Cooper, no problem: Bielsa tweak shows how Leeds can thrive in captain's absence - opinion

Gaetano Berardi is a puzzling footballer and to suggest he can completely replace Liam Cooper would be overstepping the mark.

The Swiss defender has picked up six red cards during his time with Leeds in what can only be described as a hideous disciplinary record but last weekend against Stoke he was up to the challenge.

For obvious reasons, Berardi is a player who causes unrest and nervousness among Leeds supporters.

Before that clash with the Potters, Marcelo Bielsa revealed that Berardi may have to take Cooper’s place because of injury, a piece of news which left the Elland Road faithful concerned.

A knock to the ankle was Cooper’s downfall, a problem which caused him to sit out the Carabao Cup tie with Stoke as well.

He was missed in that outing, but in league action, the Whites managed to deal without him.

And they did so in impressive style as Berardi eventually ended up taking plaudits from the Leeds fan base.

It was quite a turnaround for a player who, alongside Cooper, took stick in pre-season too.

At 5 foot 10, Berardi isn’t your usual towering central defender and concerns over his height are understandable, even if he is adept at winning aerial duels.

But Bielsa made a key tactical tweak last weekend that paid dividends, especially for Berardi.

In the past, the Argentine has experimented with a three man defence which has seen Kalvin Phillips come into the middle but the majority of that was whilst Berardi was injured.

Last term he had two significant spells on the sidelines, missing six matches with a knee problem before returning but getting injured almost immediately. On that occasion, he sat out 21 games from October to February.

His fitness for the majority of last term was questionable but so far this season he’s come out firing, netting against Salford and putting in an assured and measured display versus Stoke in the league.

Playing in a three, he helped Leeds keep a clean sheet whilst winning five aerial duels in the process. His presence was crucial as he made six clearances and a further two blocks, finishing the encounter with a pass success of 85.9%, per WhoScored.

It’s hard to assess whether a similar impact would have been had in a back two but it proves that by losing Cooper, Leeds can protect both Berardi and their defence by opting for a three-man backline.

After all, in regulation time, Berardi is unbeaten when playing in this formation under Bielsa last term and this.

Conceding against Stoke in the Carabao Cup would have been alarming but the defender was playing alongside Leif Davis in defence, a player who isn’t used to playing in the middle on an all too regular basis.

As a result, a competent defender like Ben White, still needs to play his part. The Brighton loanee has been magnificent since arriving, winning 2.6 tackles and 3.4 interceptions each match prior to the Whites’ game against Swansea.

He is the real reason behind why Leeds have only conceded twice in the Championship heading into this weekend but Berardi can definitely have a say too.

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The 31-year-old has his shaky moments, no less so than in the playoffs when he was sent off. That, however, was when he only had one defender alongside him.

The fact he has defensive cover in a system like this is hugely beneficial to the whole team and the way he filled the Cooper void last weekend was an encouraging start.

It may take time for Berardi to truly work his way back into the hearts of Leeds fans but if Bielsa is ever missing Cooper again, he must play with a three-man backline.

It could just save them countless points.

from FootballFanCast.com https://ift.tt/30OYs06