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Steven Gerrard insists Leeds United can consider themselves unlucky with injuries this season and their position in the Premier League is not a true reflection on Marcelo Bielsa’s “very talented” side.

The Whites have endured a very difficult campaign so far, finding it hard to replicate last season’s success. However, their squad has been obliterated by a series of injuries this season, with Patrick Bamford only managing 20 minutes of action since September 17.

If losing last season’s top scorer for so long wasn’t enough, Leeds have also had to deal without talismanic midfielder Kalvin Phillips for long periods. The likes of Pascal Struijk, Liam Cooper, Jamie Shackleton, Junior Firpo, Adam Forshaw have all also had spells on the sidelines.

As such, it’s little surprise to see Bielsa’s side continuing to face a battle to pull clear of the drop. Before the midweek Premier League programme, Leeds are six points clear of the relegation zone.

And the picture looks unlikely to get any better for them after Wednesday’s clash at Villa Park if our Premier League Predictions are anything to go by.

As such, Gerrard claims it is “not fair” to judge Leeds until they have a full compliment of players.

Leeds tipped to climb table

Furthermore, the Villa boss admits he has always enjoyed watching Leeds play under Bielsa.

“My opinion on Leeds is, as a team and as a squad, they’ve got really talented players, really dangerous players,” said Gerrard.

“They haven’t had the best of luck in terms of injuries, so it’s not fair to judge them too strongly.

“I’ve only focussed on Leeds over the last few weeks, as I was in Scotland up until November, but from the outside, I’ve always enjoyed watching Leeds. I think they’re a very exciting team.

“They’re getting players returning from injury, and I’m sure once they get Kalvin Phillips, Patrick Bamford back, it wouldn’t surprise me if they find a higher level of consistency.”

Leeds will again be without Cooper, Bamford, Firpo and Phillips at Villa Park on Wednesday night.

Gerrard expects big things from Buendia

One man who has found some form since Gerrard’s appointment in November is Emi Buendia.

The Argentine took some time to settle following his record move to the club from Norwich.

However, Gerrard likes what he sees from him in recent games and the boss is hoping to see that continue.

“We’ve certainly seen that explosion,” Gerrard said. “We believe he’s had a fantastic month (in January). All the players needed time to adapt to us and the way we want to play.

“The good thing for Emi is we believe this style, shape and what we’re trying to do is tailormade for him and his own style. We feel it’s a really good match.

“He’s seen that early on and we’ve had real buy-in from him. He’s a tenacious little character and player, he’s got amazing talent and he’s got stronger and stronger with each training session.

“He believes he can only get better, I have that type of belief in him.

“We are not comparing him to Jack Grealish, we’re not looking back, we’re only looking forward to support him and give him an environment and a culture to thrive in. We want to give him a style of play which brings out the best in him.

“It’s about taking the excuses away from, not just him, but all the players. He has thrived in this environment since we came in. Emi deserves to be compared to only himself.”

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