David Prutton: No hiding place for Leeds as threat of relegation looms large
Leeds United were fortunate not to lose by more goals against Manchester City on Tuesday night (14 December), according to David Prutton.
The Whites were beaten 7-0 at the Etihad Stadium by Pep Guardiola’s side, making it one of their heaviest ever Premier League defeats.
It leaves them 16th in the table ahead of the game against Arsenal today (18 December), five points above the relegation zone.
In his latest column for the Yorkshire Evening Post, Prutton gave his assessment of the midweek defeat but also called for support for Marcelo Bielsa.
“Let’s be brutally honest, it could have been double figures,” the Sky Sports pundit said.
“But other than that top four, Manchester City should be smashing people to pieces like this on a weekly basis. It doesn’t stop certain people questioning Marcelo Bielsa, the Bielsa critics steaming out and steaming in.
“But that is the very nature of football and the result has given the critics ammunition to say ‘is his time up at the club?’
“But I don’t think it is and I think what he has done with the club and the elevation of players that have come through the pyramid and what he has got with them, is great.”
Prutton also commented on Leeds’s hopes of surviving relegation this season.
“There is absolutely no hiding place and now it becomes not just a case of doing it for yourselves and pride but also amassing enough points that keep you in the division,” he said.
“Anywhere above the dotted line is an absolute triumph but between now and whenever Leeds get the chance to pause for a breather it’s just about getting through the games.”
Spot on
Prutton is right. Manchester City are one of the best teams in the world and they are a formidable force to come up against.
Let’s not forget that today’s opponents’ Arsenal lost 5-0 at the Etihad Stadium at the start of the season.
That does not make Tuesday night’s defeat any less harrowing, but it puts into context what Leeds were up against – with so many players missing too – and shows that calls for Bielsa to go are very hasty.
No one is hiding away from the fact that results and performances haven’t been good enough this season and a relegation battle does appear likely.
But there is no better man to get the club out of the current predicament and once players begin to return from the sidelines, results should start to pick up.
A win against Arsenal would be a big statement and a strong way to end what has been a week to forget.
In other Leeds United news, one Whites target wants to stay at his current club in January.