Leeds United v Stoke City - Balancing act for Marcelo Bielsa in promotion race

The Whites host Stoke City this evening requiring 10 more points from five matches to confirm their place in next season’s top flight.

Having been out of the Premier League since 2004 and widely regarded as the best team in the Championship since Bielsa took over in the summer of 2018, there will be a great deal of pressure on the shoulders of the home players this evening and in every game until their fate is decided.

Third-placed Brentford have ramped it up with six straight wins, five since the season resumed, and West Bromwich Albion went top of the table with last night’s 2-0 win over Derby County.

There will, therefore, be tension at Elland Road tonight, added to by Stoke’s involvement in the relegation battle. Bielsa says that is no bad thing but as with everything, it is about balance.

“I don’t think our players are relaxed,” said the Argentinian. “There is a competitive tension that is very important.

“All of us know the ideal mood to compete. Players know about that more than anyone.”

Leeds were in imperious form before the lockdown, coming out of a mid-season dip with five straight wins. Since losing their first match back at Cardiff City they have won two and drawn one.

“In some matches yes and other matches no,” reflected Bielsa when asked if his players had hit the expected levels on the resumption.

“In some moments of some matches we played better and in some matches worse.

“Against Cardiff we didn’t deserve to lose (a couple of sloppy mistakes undermining an otherwise good performance). In the second half against Fulham we justified our win. In the match we drew against Luton we should have won clearly. Against Blackburn the performance of our players was better than good.”

With nine matches in 31 days, there has been little time to work on the imperfections at Thorp Arch so Bielsa and his coaches have had to prioritise.

“The training sessions are shorter, less strenuous,” he explained. “We need to consider the recovery period as the most important thing, we have to respect them.

“With the time and energy the players have left, we try to choose the most important things to train regarding the next match. 

“There are no big things to modify but we always have to correct things.”

If Leeds’s form has been patchy, Brentford’s has been anything but.

After 75 minutes of Tuesday’s home game against Charlton Athletic, they looked as if they may lose their 100 per cent post-lockdown record. Instead they came from 1-0 down to win 2-1 with a Said Benrahma penalty and an 85th-minute winner from former Barnsley centre-back Ethan Pinnock.

“It’s up to West Brom and Leeds to come up with an answer,” said Brentford manager Thomas Frank afterwards.

Bielsa has been impressed by the west London side, three points behind his team from a game more, but with a far better goal difference.

“They are playing at a good level,” he said. “It’s the only team that has won every match in this period. This makes them a very important opponent to consider.”

Stoke were bottom of the table when Michael O’Neill took over as manager in early November, but have won more Championship matches than they have lost since (11-10) to give them a good chance of surviving a relegation battle which also features Barnsley, Hull City, Middlesbrough and Huddersfield Town.

“Their offensive play is one of their more positive qualities,” commented Bielsa “I link all the (good) characteristics with the impact of the manager.

“The manager has got their players to look better and show their ability.

“We know players are the most important people in football. The manager’s job is to try to make all the players work collectively to show what each player knows how to do.

“They are a creative team, their players have clear technical ability. In some ways they respect a common way of playing but it’s obvious they also have an impact individually.”

After tonight Leeds are at Swansea City on Sunday for a game that had been due to be televised on Sky, but will now not be so they can show the following Tuesday’s visit of Barnsley instead. Leeds finish with games against Derby and Charlton.

Last six games: Leeds United WDWLWW; Stoke City WLLDWD.

Referee: D Bond (Lancashire).

Last time: Leeds United 2 Stoke City 2 (Stoke won 5-4 on pens), August 27, 2019, League Cup.

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