Ian Wright hits back at Marcelo Bielsa critics after Leeds draw 0-0 with Manchester United
Ian Wright hit back at any Marcelo Bielsa critics in the wake of Leeds United drawing 0-0 with Manchester United on Sunday.
The reverse fixture saw the Whites blitzed 6-2 at Old Trafford in December but there never appeared any danger of a similar scoreline at Elland Road with Bielsa’s charges continuing their fine recent defensive form.
That’s now just four goals conceded in their last six games, which has included clashes with Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea, and speaking on BBC Match of the Day 2 [25/04/21] Wright used the opportunity to shut down any El Loco detractors.
“People have been saying it, it’s a bit disrespectful saying he’s [Bielsa] one-dimensional and that he won’t adapt because what we saw today was them adapting,” he said.
“He said that they didn’t attack as well as they could’ve but the way they defended today, when you consider what happened to them up at Old Trafford, when Ole got the better of them that day with the man-marking…
“But now they’ve totally adapted to it.”
More than Murderball
Bielsa might be a coach famed for his ‘Murderball’ training methods and high-intensity pressing tactics, and his teams are known to prefer playing their way out of trouble, but recently Leeds have shown a side to them which many pundits doubted was there.
We had 44% possession on Sunday, a substantial downturn on our 55% season average in the Premier League [WhoScored], yet our defence still wasn’t breached and we weren’t exactly hanging on for dear life against a side 20 points ahead in second place.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side were restricted to minimal clear-cut chances and our commitment to the cause was never in doubt.
Bielsa’s had plenty of dissenting voices coming from the punditry world this season who have looked down their nose at him and his principles, with some suggesting that he doesn’t know how to set up a team to defend, but he’s proving them all wrong.
Long may it continue.
In other Leeds United news, Whites official Twitter account blasts Man Utd player after what happened in 0-0 draw.