Brentford v Leeds United – Marcelo Bielsa searching for elusive winning brew

WITH a pub to be found on each corner, Griffin Park has long since been a favourite stop-off for travelling supporters.
Aiming to bounce back: Dejected Leeds coach Marcelo Bielsa. Picture: Simon HulmeAiming to bounce back: Dejected Leeds coach Marcelo Bielsa. Picture: Simon Hulme
Aiming to bounce back: Dejected Leeds coach Marcelo Bielsa. Picture: Simon Hulme

Even fans of those clubs who have found Brentford to be pretty inhospitable on the pitch in terms of results have been known to enjoy sinking a pint or three before watching yet another defeat at this most compact of grounds.

Leeds United fall into this category. Visits may have been few and far between during the 50 or so years before the Elland Road club fell into League One but their record at a site once owned by the Griffin Brewery is poor.

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Not since August, 1950, have Leeds won at the home of the Bees. There have been nine trips to Griffin Park since then and those travelling down from Yorkshire have been left drowning their sorrows after each one.

Leeds United's Liam Cooper. Picture: Nigel French/PALeeds United's Liam Cooper. Picture: Nigel French/PA
Leeds United's Liam Cooper. Picture: Nigel French/PA

Notable moments amid this run of six defeats and three draws have been rare. Darko Milanic did take charge of his first game there, a 2-0 defeat in 2014 that also saw then owner Massimo Cellino watch the action from the away terrace.

This apart, Leeds’ visits have been largely forgettable affairs. Until now. Whatever happens in today’s tea-time encounter, Brentford’s home for another couple of years is likely to feature in United folklore.

A long overdue victory, especially if accompanied by Sheffield United stumbling at Hull City earlier in the day, and Griffin Park will forever be toasted as the place where the Premier League dream was revived.

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Alternatively, should Marcelo Bielsa’s side flounder and the Blades triumph in East Yorkshire, then the Bees will join Wigan Athletic in having scuppered the charge for automatic promotion.

Plenty, therefore, for supporters to ponder when enjoying a pre-match jar in the various watering holes surrounding Brentford’s homely ground.

Bielsa, for his part, is in no doubt as to the importance of the game with Thomas Frank’s dangerous side.

“You get the motivation from the moment and from what is at stake,” said the Argentinian, whose Leeds outfit surrendered the initiative to the Blades via a shock Good Friday defeat at home to Wigan Athletic.

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“Of course we were motivated (against Wigan) and, of course, we will have motivation in all of the games that we are going to play.

“I am very sad (at slipping to third). But I am full of motivation and I am ready to work again in these games. What we need is a breath between two games. But reality denies us this moment of relaxing and this obliges us to send the messages to get what we are looking for.

“If I am sure of one thing, it is that it will be a lot harder than it has been so far.”

Leeds’ task is certainly a lot harder than it was heading in to Easter. Where before 10 points would have been enough to clinch second place, now even finishing the season with three straight victories might not be enough.

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Chris Wilder’s Blades hold a six-goal advantage over their rivals from up the M1, meaning a nine-point haul from trips to Hull and Stoke City that sandwich next Saturday’s home encounter with already relegated Ipswich Town will be enough.

It also means those travelling Leeds fans sampling the local brew in either The Griffin, Princess Royal, The New Inn or the recently re-opened Royal Oak will be keeping abreast of events at the KCOM Stadium.

“We need to have more strength,” said Bielsa about a run-in that also includes a home game with Aston Villa and the May 5 trip to Ipswich Town. “This (defeat to Wigan) was a moment of weakness we were not expecting.

“This is a challenge to us – and especially me, because I am head coach. Before the Wigan game, I had been described as the maker of this reality. This new reality is different, and also my responsibility.”

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United’s cause will not be helped today by the likely absence once again of Liam Cooper. The club’s captain, enjoying the best season of his career, has missed the last two games with a muscle injury sustained during the warm-up before Leeds beat Sheffield Wednesday.

Gaetano Berardi will again deputise, Bielsa expected to name the same 10 outfield players for a 12th game running in the hope the rushed and frantic play of Friday can be replaced by the more calm and cool-headed approach that brought victory over the Owls.

Much is likely to depend on how the Blades fare earlier in the day against Nigel Adkins’s Tigers. The pressure of knowing Wilder’s side had beaten Nottingham Forest in the lunch-time kick-off on Friday had clearly got to Leeds, judging by how nervy they were against the Latics even after taking an early lead through Patrick Bamford’s 10th goal of the season.

If the south Yorkshire club has opened a three-point advantage by the time Bielsa’s men kick-off at Griffin Park, it will surely be the toughest test of character for Leeds all season.

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“We will heal this wound only by getting promoted,” added the 63-year-old Elland Road chief, whose renowned attention to detail means he will know Leeds have scored just eight times in their past 11 league meetings with Brentford. “You have games that you just have to win. If you lose a game, explanations are useless.”

Last six games: Brentford DLDWLD, Leeds United LWLWWL. Referee: J Linington (Isle of Wight). Last time: Brentford 3 Leeds United 1; November 4, 2017; Championship.