With Phillips suspended for the visit of the Seagulls in the Premier League, boss Marcelo Bielsa opted to slot centre-back Struijk into the defensive midfield role.
Phillips was missed though as Struijk failed to get to grips with the game and provide a degree of that provided by his team-mate in the role which has become key in Bielsa’s system.
Whelan thinks Struijk did not deliver and Bielsa would have been better just playing two central midfielders against Brighton.
“The biggest one for me is Struijk”, Whelan said on BBC Radio Leeds after the match.
“I said we needed a big game from him. He had to read the game well, play that role well, and he didn’t.
“Again, the game just passed him by. Every time he was on the ball he gave it away.
“He wasn’t stepping in like Kalvin does and he wasn’t pushing forward when Kalvin does.
“If you haven’t got someone who can play the role that Kalvin plays then you’re better off not putting someone in there and just playing someone else in that central midfield role.”
The loss against Brighton means that Leeds have now suffered defeat in their last three games on the bounce, while they have won just three of their nine home league games.
