Giuseppe Bellusci shone alongside Sol Bamba for Leeds United on Tuesday, so who are the club’s first-choice centre-backs?
Leeds United got back to winning ways this week with a 2-0 win against Reading at the Madejski Stadium.
It was the perfect response after the club had seen their four-game undefeated streak go up in smoke against Brentford last weekend, with goals from Luke Murphy and Sam Byram sealing the win.
Leeds manager Neil Redfearn made three changes from the match with the Bees, one of which was the return of the previously suspended Giuseppe Bellusci for Liam Cooper, after the captain had been struck down by illness.
But such was the Italian’s performance alongside recent loan signing Sol Bamba, that Redfearn now has a huge selection dilemma.
Bamba immediately formed an impressive centre-back pairing with Cooper, but the Ivorian looked just as comfortable – and effective – next to Bellusci and after hailing them as the bedrock of the victory, Redfearn has the tough task of deciding just who are Leeds first-choice central defenders moving forward.
| Effective Clearances | Effective Headed Clearances | Duels Won | Aerials Won | Interceptions Won | Tackles Won | Mins Played | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giuseppe Bellusci | 6 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 90 |
Against Reading, Bellusci made nine effective clearances (six with his feet and three with his head) while he also won eight ground duels, one aerial battle, three interceptions and six tackles.
In short, he was vital, and while he had been tipped to miss out in favour of Cooper and Bamba, it may actually now be the Leeds skipper who is sweating over his inclusion in future starting elevens.
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