MOT View: ‘Scripted’ Leeds must heed assessment from promotion rival boss
There is a reason why Leeds United are top of the Championship.
Marcelo Bielsa has transformed this side into a superb, well-drilled unit renowned for its fitness and relentlessness.
And while there have been some slip-ups this season, for the most part we have deserved our place at the summit of the table.
But now we enter a completely different ball game entirely, with nine must-win matches standing between us and a long-awaited return to the Premier League.
And if we are to hold our nerve and see ourselves over the line, that means learning from the mistakes we made earlier in the campaign.
Among those errors was a 2-1 defeat to Fulham back in December.
The Whites still have to play their third-placed rivals again this summer, and so it could be a useful idea to take on board the comments made by Fulham boss Scott Parker after that game.
As quoted by Leeds Live, he said: “Leeds are the most athletic, powerful team that we see.
“They’re the most structured and patterned team as well, the movements Leeds make are very scripted.
“We studied Leeds for many a game and you can see the movements they made. All week we drilled the movements, to keep drilling, to say ‘listen, stick to it, stick with this and you’ll limit them’.”
While Parker isn’t criticising Leeds per se here, it is interesting that he has picked up on Bielsa’s “scripted” style of play.
Leeds had 64.9% possession at Craven Cottage in December, as well as 15 shots to the hosts’ seven, and yet they were unable to come away with from the capital with even a point.
In these last few matches, when teams will have had even more time to study the Whites and learn what they are about, it is vitally important that Bielsa provides his players with alternative ways of breaking sides down so that we don’t drop needless points in matches we dominate.
In other Leeds United news, Leeds 21y/o catches eye of coaching staff ahead of Championship restart – report.