Leeds United v West Ham United: Marcelo Bielsa faces stern test of his threadbare squad

In many respects, remedying difficult situations is the quintessential art of management.

Late last autumn, his Liverpool counterpart Jurgen Klopp, forced to contend with an injury crisis and a fixture schedule which he deemed to be unfair, entered into a heated argument with a broadcaster after a draw at Brighton and even accused a fellow manager of being ‘selfish.’

His side were one point clear at the top of the Premier League table at the time, but you wouldn’t have thought it as Klopp – also angered at the scrapping of the five-substitute rule used to finish the 2019-20 season – belied his unusually sunny disposition.

It was indicative of the fact that the heat can get to the best, as it has done to the likes of Pep Guardiola on occasions.

Which brings us to Bielsa. He undoubtedly places great internal pressure upon himself; a famous picture of him sat on the floor in a corridor at Loftus Road, deep in thought with his head bowed after his side’s Championship defeat at QPR in February, 2019 is proof of that.

But he is not one to air his grievances in public, with his refusal to also criticise officials being one of his endearing traits.

In the here and now, his Leeds side – without a league win so far this season ahead of today’s game – have issues.

A lack of ruthlessness in the final third and some defensive deficiencies at the other end are bad enough, but they are compounded by the absence of some senior players.

Three internationals in Patrick Bamford, Robin Koch and Diego Llorente will definitely be absent today and some others might be.

Bielsa, admirably, is not after sympathy, only answers from within.

Ahead of today’s game, the Argentine spoke about highly-rated defender Charlie Cresswell, 18, yet to make his league debut, taking a ‘significant step forward’ towards doing that after a polished midweek performance at Fulham in the Carabao Cup.

Crysencio Somerville, 19, a player who many at Thorp Arch believe is destined for a fulfilling career at a high level if his progress continues, has already featured in the top flight this term while the likes of Cresswell, Joe Gelhardt, Sam Greenwood, Liam McCarron and Stuart McKinstry have observed from the bench and had a front-row seat.

Gelhardt and McKinstry were both afforded the psychological fillip of action – and kudos – at Craven Cottage in netting spot-kicks in United’s penalty shoot-out success in a week which also saw McCarron sign a new deal. Further elevations may arrive sooner rather than later.

On contending with availability issues, Bielsa – also without the likes of Raphinha, Luke Ayling and Jack Harrison in midweek – said: “We have a sufficient amount of players.

“We were prepared to adapt to the absences. For example against Fulham, we had eight or nine players unavailable. I cannot say it does not matter that so many players were not available and of course, it is also an added difficulty when players in the same position are injured.

“But for a long time, I have been working here now. There comes a time when you have to show that the project can resolve these uncomfortable situations.

“The group has 18 players and there’s 15 or 16 who respond to the profile I can pick from, McCarron for example. When we have to use them (young players), the argument cannot be that first-team players are missing.”

As someone who misses nothing, the fact that some of his senior players have yet to reach their optimum levels so far this season – in comparison to 2020-21 – is probably more pertinent to Bielsa than the sight of a busy treatment room, an occupational hazard in football.

The United chief is in the business of getting players back to their best, it’s his modus operandi. It is why every minute, hour and session working with them on the training ground always matters and is never wasted.

One of those yet to fully hit their straps this season is Stuart Dallas. In fairness, he is not alone.

Given the outstanding consistency which the Northern Irishman displayed last term, Bielsa is confident that the slight drop-off from Dallas will be temporary.

Bielsa commented: “His performances have not been at the same level as last year. But there are reasons to understand why it’s not that way. And every game he plays, he plays a little bit better than the previous one.

“I’ve every confidence that this Saturday, or the following Saturday, or in a short space of time, he’s going to come back to his high level. It is not that I have confidence, it is that I am sure of it.”

Bielsa’s skills may be multi-layered and his training ground akin to a finishing school, but one thing that you cannot recreate is the intensity of a match-day and guttural roar of a full house.

As the late Brian Clough often used to say, scoring goals is the hardest thing in football. It is something that Leeds – with a modest five goals this term – are currently experiencing.

Executing your skills in front of goal when it matters is a wholly different art to doing it on the practice ground. In that regard, players are alone. Bielsa can teach, but not determine.

He continued: “Efficiency is for teams in a good run of form. What is trained is the mechanisms to make offensive football.

“After that, the final shot is a goal or not is less coachable because (with) the conditions of an official match in relationship to the shot that is scored or missed, you cannot reproduce them on the training pitch.”