According to a recent report from Daily Mail, Marcelo Bielsa has decided to give his players no extra time off with the league being suspended until the next month. It is believed that it is business as usual for the Whites in terms of their training regime. The report mentions that the medical staff of the club has questioned this decision from Bielsa.
Leeds United are currently flying high in the Championship, and the break has probably come at the wrong time for them. The Whites had an impressive momentum going their way as they had managed to win five games on the bounce. Football in the Championship is set to resume from 4th April where the Whites will square off against Blackburn Rovers.
Many might feel that this decision is harsh from Bielsa, but they don’t call the Argentine ‘El Loco’ for no reason. He is known to be a hard taskmaster. Discipline, fitness and following his meticulous process is very crucial to what he does.
How will this help the likes of Phillips and Augustin?
Even though the Whites are on top of the table, they cannot afford to take their foot off the gas. Hence, we think that keeping the players up to speed is a good thing to do. The break will help someone like Kalvin Phillips immensely as he has missed some games due to injury. He was expected to be back this weekend but a few more weeks rest would ensure that he is back to his hundred percent.
It will also be interesting to see where Jean-Kevin Augustin would be in the first-team picture after the break. The striker looked off the pace when he came in and is currently out with a hamstring injury. This break should give him more time to recover. Also, this would provide him with more time to get used to Bielsa’s demands. The latter half of the season could be crucial for him as it could decide his fate regarding whether he would be signed permanently or not.
Right call from the manager?
Only time will tell whether this break in momentum would be a good or a bad thing for the Whites. The medical team at Elland Road though seemingly wants the players to have some time off. Bielsa is not known for rotating his players much, and most of his first-team players have played consistently throughout the season. Hence, we think that maybe the club could have given the likes of Mateusz Klich, Jack Harrison, Ben White and Stuart Dallas a week off as they have played plenty of games.
Overall, we think that not giving the players off is the right call from the manager. However, maybe the club could have selectively kept a few players away for a week who have played relentlessly this season.
