Could Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa transform Stuart Dallas?
Prior to Marcelo Bielsa’s appointment at Leeds United in June, popular Spanish journalist Guillem Balague spoke to Sky Sports.
Balague said: “That is really the key to the success of his style – that every player, including the forwards, must work really hard without the ball, and every player, including the defenders, must work really hard with it, too.”
That description is ominous for certain Leeds players, some of whom have been known to shirk their defensive duties, but one man it’s certainly promising for is Stuart Dallas.
The 27-year-old, a £1.3 million signing in 2015, has a solid work ethic on a football pitch and one that might just endear him to the Argentine head coach, if Balague’s words are accurate.
It looks like Bielsa will incorporate the use of wing-backs in his assumed 3-1-3-3 system and Dallas will fancy his chances of being one of them.
The Northern Ireland international, who did a stint at right-back last season, has spent much of his United career on the left wing, and he has the perfect blend of attack and defensive qualities which Bielsa might be looking for.
Not only is he a workhorse, honest as the day is long, but he can play football, too.
As a winger, Dallas, during his first two seasons, set up 14 ‘big chances’ for his Leeds team-mates. For context, Pablo Hernandez managed only two more in his first two seasons in West Yorkshire.
In fact, the Spaniard is the only Whites player to supply his team-mates with more goalscoring opportunities than Dallas, whose defensive capabilities indicate that he could be an excellent wing-back under Bielsa next season.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
