Phil Hay details Marcelo Bielsa reasoning behind surprising Leeds decision v Cardiff
Marcelo Bielsa admitted that he took off Leeds United defender Luke Ayling as he wanted more attacking impetus down the right in the 2-0 defeat v Cardiff City.
The Athletic’s Phil Hay shared the reasoning behind that in a Q&A after the game on Sunday, as Ayling was replaced by Ezgjan Alioski.
Alioski went to left-back and Stuart Dallas was moved to the right to play behind the impressive Ian Poveda, who debuted against the Bluebirds.
Many questioned why Bielsa didn’t just make the straight swap by taking Dallas off, as Ayling trudged to the sideline after the decision.
Hay shared Bielsa’s answer to that question, claiming that it surprised the people watching as much as the fans when Ayling’s number was shown by the fourth official.
“On Ayling, Bielsa said he thought Dallas would offer more attacking impetus in the last half hour – would get further up the pitch, in other words. I was surprised to see Ayling go off though,” he said.
It was a shock to see Ayling dragged off with nearly half an hour left in the game, but the defender did take a few knocks in the game so it could have been a smart decision.
With one eye on the game against Fulham, Leeds will need both of their full-backs in top form to halt the progress of the likes of Anthony Knockaert and Ivan Cavaleiro.
Ayling was in top form before the break, and his return to action was underwhelming for the Whites. The defender didn’t complete any tackles or interceptions and that limited his chances to kickstart counter-attacks, something which halted the Whites [WhoScored].
In other Leeds United news, here are our player ratings from the defeat against Cardiff including a shocking 3/10