Leeds United are back in action again tonight as they host Crystal Palace in an important game at Elland Road.
The Whites thought they were back on track after beating Leicester City, but they then slipped up at home to Everton last week.
Marcelo Bielsa needs to see his side hit back tonight after two home league defeats in a row, and there will be plenty of focus placed on winger Raphinha to provide quality.
The Brazilian has been superb of late; he scored against Everton, picked up an assist against Leicester and also scored against Newcastle, meaning he is on fire at the moment.
Raphinha has now recorded 27 key passes this season – more than Raheem Sterling, Ross Barkley, Marcus Rashford, Phil Foden and tonight’s opponent Eberechi Eze.
When it comes to dribbling, Raphinha has completed more take-ons than Mohamed Salah, Bernardo Silva, Foden and Son Heung-min to name just a few.
He is not only skilful on the ball, possessing great technique and speed of thought to pick out great assists like he did against Leicester City, but he also works unbelievably hard and fits perfectly into Bielsa’s style.
Leeds spent just £17million to sign Raphinha in October, and it’s becoming clear now that Victor Orta pulled off an absolute masterstroke in the process.
Just look at Nicolas Pepe; he made a huge move from Ligue 1 to Arsenal, but has been inconsistent with his end product and application, meaning he is far from a locked-in starter for the Gunners.
Pepe cost a staggering £72million, more than four times the price Leeds paid for Raphinha, and if you offered Whites fans a swap of the two players right now, they wouldn’t take it.
Raphinha is making himself a star at Elland Road, and all eyes will be on him tonight as he looks to turn in yet another superb performance in what is becoming a great season.
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