Marcelo Bielsa claim emerges after late Leeds United win v Sunderland
Andy Hinchcliffe made a bold claim as he compared the current Leeds United squad to that of Marcelo Bielsa after the 2-1 win against Sunderland.
The Whites were looking unlikely to come away with anything at Elland Road on Monday as Sunderland were holding firm after Wilson Isidor’s opener.
However, substitutions Joe Rothwell and Pascal Struijk teamed up twice late on to give the Whites all three points and return to the top of the Championship table.
Andy Hinchcliffe has no doubts about Daniel Farke’s Leeds United
Daniel Farke’s side looks unstoppable this term and have kept their standards high throughout.
However, against Sunderland, it looked as though the Whites were going to be undone until the late goals secured a massive win at Elland Road yet again.
This saw United take their place at the top of the Championship table again, where they sit two points clear of Sheffield United.
Speaking on Sky Sports News on 18 February, Hinchcliffe compared it to Bielsa, saying: “This is the best Leeds side I have seen in the Championship. I saw the Bielsa side, I saw last season’s side.
“This team is just strong from back to front. Question marks against Meslier, he made a couple of good saves last night. But, apart from that, defend well, highest scorers in the four English divisions.
“They’ve got absolutely everything. They’ve got character, individually very good, collectively very good so strong.”
“This is the best Leeds side I’ve seen in the Championship, the substitutions changed the course of the game” 💬
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) February 18, 2025
Andy Hinchcliffe praises Leeds and Daniel Farke after their late win over Sunderland ⚪ pic.twitter.com/9NgHcNcje0
Daniel Farke is running the show with Leeds United this term
Given how much Bielsa is admired still at Elland Road, to claim that his side is better than the one who returned to the Premier League first is huge.
However, it is hard to argue against Hinchcliffe’s points and it certainly is praise that the Leeds squad are well deserving of this term.
Farke has managed to put a squad together that is strong from the back to the front of the pitch and while there might be question marks over the quality of Meslier, they are a well-oiled machine in every position.
Bielsa deserves more credit for making the players he had better, but Farke has had to deal with huge player exits over the summer and is still thriving.
With a massive game against Sheffield United up next on Monday (24 February) there is no time for the West Yorkshire outfit to get too carried away at this stage.
However, should they come away victorious against the Blades, there will certainly be plenty of chatter about winning the Championship reflecting just how good this Leeds side is.