There is no denying that the arrival of Marcelo Bielsa has had a positive impact on Leeds United. The Whites sit on top of the table after the first month of fixtures and more than the results, the manner in which they have played and achieved the points has given the fans some hope. However, their major rivals are often coming up with the same argument; The players will wear out as the season progresses and their wheels could come off by Christmas.
There is every right for a United fan to hope of something special this season but they should they should keep up the consistency till the end of the campaign. Last season, they started off brilliantly and were unbeaten in their first seven games. However, by Christmas, they started to languish behind and went through a managerial change by the time it was February.
This time though, they have Bielsa at their disposal, and the veteran manager would himself be aware of something like that happening. The intensity with which United start off the blocks, the way the players are pressing high every game and the demanding fixtures of the Championship all indicate that the Whites might suffer a drop in performance as the season progresses.
So is there any truth in Bielsa’s squad wearing off?
Here is what we found. The last major job which Bielsa had was with Ligue 1 club Marseille. In the 2014-15 campaign, they started off well and led the table up until the 15th game week. A run of three defeats in next five games saw them slip to second by the 20th game week and eventually they stuttered their way through to a 4th place finish at the end. They ended the season brightly by managing four wins in their last four games, but it is clear that midway, they suffered big time.
Next, we look at his campaign with Athletic Bilbao (2011-12) where he introduced a similar high octane style of game. They started off the season poorly and were hovering around the relegation zone, but later they picked themselves up and were around the 8th spot after ten games. They managed to maintain that and even saw themselves improve by rising to the 7th spot by the 20th game mark. Here is again where a slight stutter happened, and they were 11th by 30th game and eventually finished 10th by the end of the season.
In the next season, his side was 14th after the 10th game and remained around that spot pretty much throughout the season. They finished 12th at the end. So there is no real evidence that Bielsa’s squads drop in form, late in the season.
The level of competition in the league and run in other cup competitions also plays a role in deciding where his team could finish. The Whites can expect a drop in performance, but they need to make sure that the decline isn’t a significant one. With a razor-thin squad at Bielsa’s disposal, he is likely going to use a lot of academy and u-23 players to make his way through those tough times. For Whites faithful, they would hope that they can come out of this season with flying colours.
