Leeds United fans must be on cloud nine at the moment.
The Whites are top of the Championship with nine games to go, and they’ve won each of their last five games without conceding a single goal.
The Yorkshire club are well and truly back in form after a bit of a dip at the turn of the year, and as we’ve already alluded to, their defensive brilliance has played a huge part in that.
United have been excellent at the back, but on Saturday there was one man who stood out above all other defenders on the pitch.
The Swiss centre-back has started just 11 games this season, but he’s still proving to be one of United’s better defenders whenever he is called upon.
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He has the best points per match record of any player who has appeared over 10 times for United this season, and Saturday’s performance showed how good he can be when he’s playing at the peak of his powers.
The Whites will have been worried ahead of the game as Kalvin Phillips was left out of the starting XI due to injury, and they’re often very suspect at the back without him, conceding six goals in the three games he missed due to suspension in early 2020, but Berardi made sure the Yorkshire Pirlo wasn’t missed in a defensive capacity.
Three tackles, two interceptions and four clearances perfectly highlight just how brilliant the 31-year-old was at the back, and he also exhibited exceptional ball-playing skills with a 93.2% pass accuracy.
The performance certainly left us wondering why there have been reports about the defenders future being up in the air, and it’s certainly left Victor Orta with something to ponder.
Leeds will have just one senior centre-half signed on next season as Ben White’s loan comes to an end and Berardi’s contract expires.
The Switzerland international often blows hot and cold and can be a bit of a loose cannon. He is, after all, one of the club’s most red-carded players ever, earning huge criticism along the way. But he’s proven here that he still has what it takes to offer something to Bielsa’s side.
If he can continue to produce showings of this calibre the Yorkshire club may want to offer him a new deal to keep him beyond this season.
In other news, Leeds fans were silenced by this man’s performance at the weekend.