James Wood

Mon 8 March 2021 7:10, UK

This is part of a regular series from our panel of Super Fans on upcoming West Ham games. We’re delighted to welcome Jordy Phillips as our exclusive Leeds expert.

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West Ham face a resilient Leeds United side on Monday evening as we look to continue in our push for European football. 

The Hammers won the reverse fixture at Elland Road 2-1. Goals from Tomas Soucek and Angelo Ogbonna were enough to cancel out an early Mateusz Klich penalty.

Both clubs are having fantastic seasons. David Moyes’ side are flying high in the top six whilst Leeds appear to be safe from the drop, and are pushing for a top 10 finish.

We asked Leeds United Super Fan Jordy Phillips for his thoughts on the clash, who we should be looking out for and what his predictions for the match are.

You’re having a great first season back in the Premier League. As you’re pushing for a top ten finish, do Leeds fans see this as a game you can pick up some points in?

Indeed we are! Of course here in Leeds, we weren’t sure what to expect other than Bielsa sticking to his ways and playing the way he wants before the season started. It’s nice to be in the mix again that’s for sure, looking up instead of over our shoulders. Personally, for me at least, I feel on any given day this Leeds side can gather points. I’d say though, that based on our “London curse” (we haven’t won in London for around three years now) we’d be pretty chuffed to come away with a point!

You look set to be without Kalvin Phillips again, how much is he missed when he’s not in the side?

It’s no secret we have struggled without Kalvin to some degree. Our style hinges a lot on his very particular style of play in that holding central defensive midfield role. When he’s missing, it does change the team dynamic somewhat. That being said, Bielsa believes in a player’s individual talents and has plenty of faith in the likes of young up and comer Pascal Struijk and Mateusz Klich. They don’t play the role quite the same, so it does noticeably leave us a little light in the middle. It’ll be an area to watch for sure.

You’ve had a lot of players perform very well this season. Who would you say has surprised you this campaign in the Leeds squad?

I guess if I had to pick one player who’s really stood out for me it would have to be Stuart Dallas. He came to Leeds way back in 2015 as a right-winger and yet here we are in 2021 as Mr Utility man himself. I’d like to point out it’s not exactly been a surprising turn of events from a Leeds fan perspective, but the solid performances from him in multiple positions, which I don’t think he’d ever claim as his own speaks volumes of his character and ability.

Who are the main threats for Leeds?

It’s got to be our front-three really. The trio of Bamford, Harrison and Raphinha have taken to the Premier League fairly well with a combined 24 goals between. Rodrigo may make the bench on Monday night too after some time away with injury, another to definitely keep your eyes on.

Who do Leeds fans see as the main threats from West Ham?

I think the resurgence of Lingard is definitely something plenty of us will be aware of. Antonio is a fantastic player from what I’ve seen and someone who after watching a recent interview seems really down to Earth too. For Leeds fans both Bowen and Benrahma are players we have a lot of history with (being linked multiple times in the past with joining us prior to West Ham) and also a lot of experience watching in the Championship, so we know on a good day they can be a threat!

What’s your prediction for the game?

Based on your current form and our London away record I’d happily take a very tight 1-1. Might not be the most exciting result to predict, but I’ll take it!

What do Leeds fans make of West Ham this season?

It seems you’ve just gone about your business, gathered results and really put to bed some of the issues you may have had lingering from previous seasons. Some sensible bits of business which seem to have paid off too. Sixth in the league as it stands, great going is that!

Have you been surprised that Bielsa’s philosophy has worked in the Premier League?

Not really and I hope that doesn’t come across as anything other than me being completely honest. After having him at the helm for 3 seasons now, Leeds fans were well aware of what to expect. He basically rewrote our entire culture/identity and after witnessing it first hand it was hard not to look forward rather than back. Most Leeds fans biggest worry is what we will do when he eventually leaves. Hopefully, we don’t have to worry about that for another couple of years…

Can you finish in the top-ten?

I think we can yes. We definitely have enough about us to do it. The biggest issues we face right now are injuries. If we can get some keep players back into the starting lineup such as Phillips and Rodrigo, I don’t see why we couldn’t. Here’s hoping!

West Ham are hoping to welcome Lukasz Fabianski back to the side. He missed the loss to Manchester City with an elbow injury. Darren Randolph will have a late fitness test on a persistent hip problem.

The Hammers will be looking to move back up the table after dropping to sixth since we last played. Everton and Chelsea have both picked up points, and play each other ahead of our clash on Monday.

In other West Ham news, is there hope for Antonio with the England squad?