We assess the five clubs in greatest danger, looking at why they are struggling, their survival chances and the key players
Why are they in this predicament? The injuries which, for much of the season, deprived Leeds of last season’s leading scorer, Patrick Bamford, their England defensive midfielder Kalvin Phillips and their captain and key centre-half, Liam Cooper, fractured the team’s spine, impacting results adversely. Marcelo Bielsa performed wonders at Elland Road but things had started to unravel under the Argentinian this season and his replacement with the impressive Jesse Marsch on 1 March arguably came slightly too late. Although Marsch has praised Bielsa he has suggested that the intensity of his predecessor’s training regime prompted a “myriad of injuries” allied to physical and mental burnout. Moreover Bielsa’s often gung-ho, high-risk, gameplans led to to the concession of an awful lot of goals.
