Leeds United were having an anxious run of late despite occupying the top of the table spot before this weekend’s Championship football. But a 4-1 hammering to West Brom on Saturday evening has not only cost their league standing but also drew attention to many loopholes in Bielsa’s strategy and the starting lineup that are gradually becoming real concerns for the remainder of the season. The fear of falling apart is looming large once again, and the supporters are rightfully pouring out their frustration and annoyance via social media after such incredible inception towards a long-awaited Premier League return.
Marcelo Bielsa, one of the pioneers of modern-day football, has indubitably implemented an exciting brand of football among his boys that is genuinely distinctive and a joy to watch when in sync. But a few things have always worked against the iconic Argentine’s illustrious managerial career, and he is repeating the same mistakes in West Yorkshire.
An energetic display in early weeks handed the Whites a commendable lead over their league counterparts. However, the squad depth remained a concern from the very beginning of this new campaign as the gaffer was expecting his key players to retain the same intensity throughout despite the congestion of fixtures, aggressive approach and physicality of Championship football. It’s a herculean task for the same set of players to persist with a similar ardour twice a week and not recruiting proper alternatives has started impacting their performance due to tiredness and injury woes.
Moreover, the manager gambled to a great extent by not acquiring an experienced goalkeeper – a slot that has been troublesome for Leeds ever since the departure of Robert Green following an impressive 2016-17 season. Both Felix Wiedwald and Andy Lonergan were calamitous between the sticks and failed to succeed the former Three Lions international throughout the previous term.
Paul Heckingbottom, the then gaffer opted to hand academy prodigy Bailey Peacock-Farrell a starting role back in March, and an impressive run saw the Northern Irishman grabbing the first-choice status as well as making his senior international debut a couple of months later.
Bielsa, meanwhile, recruited Jamal Blackman on a season-long loan from Chelsea but decided to retain Peacock-Farrell as Leeds’ ‘number 1’. The 22-year-old, despite a few decent outings, has been quite a disappointment so far and his errors are regularly costing the Whites. Yet the veteran Argentine has not handed Blackman a starting role except a couple of cup fixtures. The Chelsea loanee could have been the solution as he had experience in the Championship circuit with previous loan terms.
Also, Bielsa is too reliant on young Kalvin Phillips who is featuring in the most critical role of his 4-1-4-1 set-up. The homegrown prodigy is occupying the ‘hole’ as he is working as a coordinator between the backline and a midfield four. This role requires enormous efficiency which the youngster lacks due to his inexperience. Deploying Adam Forshaw in a similar slot would allow Samuel Saiz to be reintegrated in the starting XI thus offering more balance in the squad compared to what the underwhelming Whites are currently experiencing in the middle of the park.
