Leed United were beaten by QPR recently, and a result like that would worry a lot of United fans. Bielsa’s men missed the chance to move to the top of the table as that was supposed to be their game in hand and the Whites currently occupy the third spot. United have struggled to get going in the past few games and even in the win against Bolton Wanderers, they laboured for the most parts.
One of the problems for the Whites have been their inability to keep clean sheets. In their last 13 games, United have managed just one cleans sheet in all competitions and no doubt that isn’t a good enough stat for a team which is vying for the automatic promotion spots.
Bielsa meanwhile has been boosted by the return of Gaetano Berardi, and he featured in the matchday squad against QPR. In the initial phase of the season, Berardi showed his versatility as he played in the centre back role over Pontus Jansson and the Whites had looked much better defensively. Moreover, Berardi seems much calmer in possession and that in turn suits the West Yorkshire outfit as they like to build up from the back.
The Swiss defender has played for u-23 side ever since his injury so we don’t expect him to be thrown into the big game against West Brom next. However, we feel it is time for Bielsa to slowly induct him into the first team to bring the defensive solidity back which the Whites have lacked in the past few games.
Quite a few goals which United have conceded have been their own doing, and they seem to be avoidable. An experienced player like Berardi will add a bit more calmness in the lineup and hopefully more stability at the back. The 30-year-old has decent ball carrying abilities, and therefore he might even be a strong candidate to start in the right-back role after some dismal performances from Luke Ayling.
United’s eye-catching and high-intensity brand of football might have caught the eye in the early part of the season, but quite a lot of their success was built on a solid defence which seems to be missing at the moment. Berardi has been out of action since October due to a hamstring injury. However, now he has returned at a crucial phase of the season where Bielsa might need every ounce of his squad depth to see out the last few fixtures to secure the automatic promotion spots.
