Marcelo Bielsa pledges support for under-fire Kiko Casilla at Leeds United

Marcelo Bielsa has launched a staunch defence of Leeds United goalkeeper Kiko Casilla and says those who would prefer to see Elia Caprille on the bench are being short-sighted.
Leeds keeper Kiko Casilla.  Picture Tony Johnson.Leeds keeper Kiko Casilla.  Picture Tony Johnson.
Leeds keeper Kiko Casilla. Picture Tony Johnson.

Casilla lost his status as first-choice goalkeeper when he was banned for eight matches either side of last season’s Covid-19 suspension after being found guilty of using racist language towards then-Charlton Athletic forward Jonathan Leko.

On Sunday he made his first appearance since September’s League Cup penalty shoot-out defeat to Hull City and was at fault for the first two goals in League Two Crawley Town’s shock 3-0 win.

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Bielsa took full responsibility not so much for naming the wrong team, but for how and when he used his players, and defended 34-year-old Casilla.

“I fully trust in Kiko and I will do the utmost possible to help him,” the Argentinian coach pledged.

“Apart from whether his performances were good or bad, we forget all the things he did to help the team get promoted. People also don’t consider how he’s been treated publicly given the situation he had to go through when he was suspended for eight games.

“I believe in him, his team-mates believe in him and we are close to him because we value him as a person and a footballer. We know his past and care about him a lot as a human being.”

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There have also been questions at times about first-choice Illan Meslier, ever-present in a team that has conceded 33 Premier League goals this season. The Frenchman has pulled off some terrific saves this term, and at other times has shown the rawness to be expected of a 20-year-old. Caprille is a year younger and even less experienced.

“If someone asks if Caprille should be in goal instead of Casilla they ignore everything in Casilla’s whole career – a player that’s serious, that has trained, that is experienced, who has had 40 games for Real Madrid, one of the biggest clubs in the world, and (I am asked) whether he can be replaced by a player who has not had one minute in the first team. What this question is looking for is to humiliate Casilla because it really has nothing to do with Caprille.

“This is part of football. One day it’s a player who is 20-years-old who gives a bad pass and it results in a goal and whether it was a good idea to replace this 20-year-old and put an experienced player in like Casilla, and the next day it’s a question if a 19 year-old who hasn’t had any minutes is going to be in goal because I don’t have confidence in Casilla.”

Instead – characteristically – Bielsa preferred to stress his culpability for what he called one of the five worst defeats in Leeds history, accepting it was a bad decision to bring off Ian Poveda in the second half, and reflecting on a triple half-time substitution which saw three of his most experienced players, Liam Cooper, Rodrigo and Pascal Struijk, replaced by youngsters.

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“I can’t ignore that I made three changes and the result wasn’t the expected one,” he conceded. “In the first half we didn’t create too many chances but we were arriving in the opponent’s box and dominating. In the second half, in 20 minutes that all changed.

“I think the three young lads, (Jack) Jenkins, Oli Casey and (Sam) Greenwood (Poveda’s replacement) had to play the most difficult minutes. I can’t hold any player as responsible for the defeat, especially not the younger ones.

“The distribution of the minutes and the players that took part wasn’t correct. I perhaps should have combined the same players differently to give them their corresponding minutes.

“The team in the first half had balance and in the second half it didn’t and I was responsible for picking both XIs.”

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In the wake of mounting political pressure on leading footballers, Bielsa said Leeds would try to rein in the goal celebrations his Manchester City counterpart Pep Guardiola this week described as instinctive.

“Habits are very difficult to modify, especially those habits that come as a result of emotions,” argued Bielsa.

“I understand completely what Guardiola is trying to say but we will do everything possible so that the rules are adhered to.”

Premier League, Football League and Women’s Super League players have been reminded of their responsibility to follow ever-stronger protocols. The importance was underlined by Andres Clavijo translating Bielsa’s words from behind a face mask.

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