Leeds and Marcelo Bielsa running out of ideas

Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa appears dejected as he leaves the touchline after the Premier League defeat to Brighton. Picture: Peter Powell

Premier League: Leeds 0 Brighton 1

Marcelo Bielsa has reveled in the adoration of his Leeds public, and many neutrals, with his work at Elland Road but after his team’s wretched start to 2021 continued against Graham Potter’s bright and breezy Brighton, the Argentinian veteran sounded like a man low on ideas.

A cult of personality has risen around the 65-year-old - the coach, of course, whom Pep Guardiola never wastes an opportunity to lavish with praise - a cult which his efforts in returning Leeds to the top flight has simply enhanced.

As the television pundit Karen Carney found out to her cost, when Leeds’ official Twitter feed fed her to the sexist trolls recently, woe betide anyone who questions whether Bielsa is quite the revolutionary genius that his reputation suggests.

Carney had the audacity to suggest that sides have a habit of tiring late in seasons under Bielsa’s demanding training and man-management style, an opinion that the Leeds social media team aggressively ridiculed, leading to the respected pundit being widely abused for her view after United had won that game 5-0 at West Brom.

Since then, Leeds have lost 3-0 at Tottenham, been defeated 3-0 at League Two Crawley Town in the FA Cup and, now, been well beaten by Brighton. Perhaps Carney had a point or perhaps there is such a thing as football karma?

Either way, a Leeds team widely praised for their attacking free will, their bare-knuckle entertainment value, managed just two shots on target in this defeat - the joint-worst of any home game under Bielsa.

And the great man himself did not immediately offer any suggestions about how he might rectify the situation, other than to confess that he is concerned.

“It worries me,” said Bielsa. “The response couldn’t be any different. To have lost three games without scoring is not something that can happen without causing worry.

“They’re all different games. In the game against Tottenham, even though we lost, the sensation of the performance wasn’t a bad one.

“But in the last two in the cup and today, we didn’t defend well and we didn’t manage to attack well either. That’s to say we defended below our resources and we attacked below our possibilities. And those two factors generate worry.The fluidity to attack is not the same in the last two games from what we’ve been used to.” That attacking fluidity was certainly non-existent against the Seagulls with Patrick Bamford, hardly a failure this season with 10 league goals to his name already, summing up the malaise currently afflicting his side.

Potter’s three-man central defence barely gave Bamford a touch throughout the 90 minutes although Bielsa refused to criticise his striker for his sub-par display.

“We’re making reference to the striker who has had the most shots in the Premier League,” said Bielsa. "So, that doesn’t invite you to think that Bamford is struggling against a certain line of defence.” Instead, the entire Leeds side is currently struggling against any line of defence and the contrast could not have been sharper with the way Brighton carved out a superb 17th minute goal with Leandro Trossard linking with Alexis Mac Allister whose cross was turned in by Neal Maupay.

The name Mac Allister - or, more accurately, Gary McAllister - is still revered in these parts although this one is an Argentinian international of Scottish heritage who is finally hitting his stride after a stop-start opening to his Premier League career.

The 22-year-old has still only started six league games but, after overcoming a case of Covid and injuries, now looks ready to make his mark.

“Sometimes when players make the move, we just assume it’s going to happen for them,” said Potter. “But the guy has moved from South America with Boca Juniors, he’s adapting to England, then Covid happens, then he picks up a couple of injuries. It’s not quite straight forward.

“But the character has never been in doubt with Alexis. He’s a fighter. He wants to help the team. He’s determined, an intelligent football player.”

Leeds United (4-1–4-1): Casilla 6; Dallas 5, Ayling 6, Cooper 5, Alioski 5 (Hernandez 67, 6); Struijk 5; Harrison 7, Klich 7, Rodrigo 5 (Roberts 62, 6), Raphina 6 (Poveda 75, 5); Bamford 5. Subs (not used) Caprile, Llorente, Costa, Davis, Shackleton, Jenkins.

Brighton (5-2–3): Sanchez 6; Veltman 7, Webster 7, Dunk 6, Burn 8, March 6; White 7, Gross 6; Trossard 7 (Tau 73, 5), Maupay 7 (Propper 81), Mac Alister 9 (Bissouma 62, 8). Subs (not used) Walton, Alzate, Zeqiri, Sanders, Jenks, Khadra.

Referee: K Friend 7