01 Mar 2021 12:17:49
With Koch coming back to first team duties soon you have to ask, what will happen to Pascal Struijk. We will now have four recognised CBs (with two more waiting in the U23s) . Wether he is third or fourth choice he is too good to warm the bench every week. He will also be viewing a berth in the National Team and would not want that to slip away with not playing. I am sure he feels he must therefore be starting every week and sadly that may mean a move away from Elland Road?

1.) 01 Mar 2021
01 Mar 2021 12:42:06
Think he will bide his time and be a regular in the Leeds first team sooner or later.

2.) 01 Mar 2021
01 Mar 2021 13:16:57
I hope so Baz but that would mean a failure of either Koch or Llorente? Unless we go to a back three?

3.) 01 Mar 2021
01 Mar 2021 14:56:30
Also Leo all clubs should have 4 central defenders in their first team squad to cover injuries, suspensions etc Struick will get game time.

4.) 01 Mar 2021
01 Mar 2021 16:53:07
Agree with Viduka, looking at most of the PL squads there seems to be 4 recognised and experienced centre backs in each of them so I am guessing Cooper, Koch, Llorente and Struick fit that bill. And luckily for us we have 2 left footers and two right footers.
My thoughts would be that Beradi isn't going to be offered an extension and either Cresswell or Casey will be offered the opportunity to get some meaningful games in during a loan.

On reading that both Llorente and Koch have experience of playing the holding midfielder role i can see we have some good cover and gives all the guys more opportunity for game minutes and keeping switched on through a season.

5.) 01 Mar 2021
01 Mar 2021 16:56:25
And stuijk is better than cooper of one is going it shouldn’t be our youngest and most promising one.

6.) 01 Mar 2021
01 Mar 2021 18:19:53
Axe, if Llorente and Koch are first choice that leaves Struijk on the bench. Not conducive to International football.

7.) 01 Mar 2021
01 Mar 2021 19:41:17
Leodis, they former 2 are centre backs. Unless they break the mould, and from what I have seen so far theu don't, both of those lads will be spending some time in the stands watching whilst those yellow cards are paid off.

Or, are you saying that the top teams are using squads with just 2 recognised centre backs?

8.) 02 Mar 2021
02 Mar 2021 10:09:35
The only question I was raising was with the noises coming from Martinez, would Struijk be happy sitting on the bench or would he, reluctantly, seek a move away to gain regular games.

{Ed077's Note - Isnt Struijk eligible for both Belgium and Netherlands? Two good nations so a big decision for him.}

9.) 02 Mar 2021
02 Mar 2021 10:37:08
I see, well in an ideal world Bielsa has the opportunity to send Struick on loan at a decent Championship side and get him a lot of game time, whilst Cooper, Koch and Llorente form a formidable combination in the centre of defence. Supplemented by Ayling, Phillips and possibly Casey and Cresswell.

I see Struik as the long term replacement for Cooper as the left footed centre back so anything that keeps him with us will do for me.