Leeds United defender Gaetano Berardi is fit and available for the club’s clash against Wigan Athletic this weekend.
Marcelo Bielsa revealed in his pre-match press conference that the Swiss defender has recovered from a calf injury with his last appearance coming in the 1-0 loss away to Arsenal in the FA Cup earlier this month.
Bielsa said: “We don’t have new injured players. Berardi is available, he is recovered. Douglas is close to coming back to training.” (Source: Leeds Live)
Berardi’s return to full fitness will be welcome news for the Argentine manager, who has seen his club ship a number of goals in recent games. Having conceded just eight goals in their opening 21 Championship fixtures, the Whites have conceded double the amount (16) in their last eight outings (via WhoScored).
Berardi has formed part of the defence that showed amazing defensive solidity and cohesion during the first half of the season. The 31-year-old made 15 league appearances for the Yorkshire outfit with the team keeping nine clean sheets (via Transfermarkt).
Taking a dive into his personal statistics, as per WhoScored, the Swiss defender proves to be a calming influence for the table-toppers, having averaged the least number of fouls per game of any defender to have started a game this year (0.2). He also has the ability to read the game well and be able to sense danger, having made the third-most clearances of any Leeds player (2.3).
While Berardi is only just returning from injury, a start against relegation-threatened Wigan wouldn’t be a bad idea. The side have failed to shore up their backline from the middle of December through to the end of January, keeping no clean sheet since their 2-0 win over Hull City.
The experienced centre-half would provide both experience and quality in the backline, making the idea of a change in central defence a convincing one.
Leeds fans, should Berardi start your game against the Latics on Saturday afternoon? Let us know your thoughts below!
