It was all going so well for Leeds earlier this season. An explosive start to the season likely left fans dreaming of a title pursuit, and whilst that’s still technically on the cards, they’re looking significantly less content than they did a few months ago.
Indeed, their latest loss – against West Brom – followed a line of pretty disappointing results, with just two wins coming the way of Marco Bielsa in the last six games.
You can point some blame towards the playing squad, of course.
Many individuals haven’t played well enough in the Championship, and once the whistle is blown, the buck stops with them.
However, Bielsa must also not be void of blame. He’s had his own share of errors this term, and he needs to recognise them – and act upon them.
With that said, here are TWO mistakes that Marco Bielsa has made at Leeds this season…
Loyalty
Make no mistake, Leeds looked really good earlier in the season, and so many players impressed. Bielsa seemed to be having a magical effect on the squad, and individuals were taking their game up more than a few notches.
However, the manager is still attempting to ride that wave, and that hasn’t really worked out too well. Meaning, he’s refusing to look past Leeds’ early season form, and many of the players that were playing well then, are still in the team despite significant reductions in form.
He’s showing too much loyalty to his main men, and that’s undeniably putting Leeds in a tough spot.
Players like Samuel Saiz and Bailey Peacock-Farrell have really struggled over the last few weeks, yet they’ve remained regulars in the first team setup.
Changing this could have a big impact on the squad.
Not only could more in-form and quality players come in, but perhaps the current regulars will recognise that they aren’t going to have it all easy this season. That could push them on to turn their form around, rather than stagnating.
No Plan B
Whilst Marco Bielsa has shown a lot of loyalty to his players, he’s also shown a lot of loyalty to the system that he’s utilising.
Granted, he’s moved his formation around and made a few changes every other week, but it’s not like he’s ever had a plan-b.
Many top managers will have a trick up their sleeve when things aren’t going well, and that could help turn a game on its head. For example, they may be able to switch from a back-four to a back-three in order to be able to make more of an impact going forward.
So far, though Bielsa hasn’t done anything to show that he’s got something like that in his locker. Management is easy when you’re winning, and if you’re winning you don’t need a plan-b. Bielsa, though, needs something else to call upon when things aren’t going well.
