Marcelo Bielsa praises 'energetic and valiant' Leeds United win

Marcelo Bielsa praised an “energetic and valiant effort” by his Leeds United players to claim a 1-0 win over Burnley.

The Whites were excellent in the first half, despite being fortunate to see Ashley Barnes's first-half “goal” chalked off for a foul on Illan Meslier. Replays strongly suggested it was Ben Mee, not the goalkeeper, who was fouled. The decision was not looked at by video assistant referee Michael Oliver, apparently because it was reached so quickly.

By then Leeds were winning courtesy of Patrick Bamford's emphatic fifth-minute penalty and they had much the better of the first 45 minutes, without adding to it.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The second half was a very different story, played mainly in Leeds territory, with Meslier making some good late saves and some dogged defending by the home side.

MIXED EMOTIONS: Leeds United head coach Marcelo BielsaMIXED EMOTIONS: Leeds United head coach Marcelo Bielsa
MIXED EMOTIONS: Leeds United head coach Marcelo Bielsa

“In the first half we defended very well,” said Bielsa. “This was helped by the fact we finished our attacks in the opposing half.

“In the second half we had to defend closer to our goal, linked to the duels in the second half.

“Especially in the last part of the game it was an energetic and valiant effort and very decisive.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“We hung onto the result. We took fewer risks near our own box. It was difficult for us to take them into their own half.

“The opponent finishes their attacks more in our box and we never found them disorganised when we had the ball. That made it more difficult for us to dominate the second half.

“The version of the game in the final part of the second half, perhaps the whole second half, was the game they wanted to play.

“We weren't able to stop them from playing the way they wanted. Although we defended fiercely the opponent had chances to score it was very difficult for us.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Kalvin Phillips was outstanding in the heart of Leeds's back three, where he was pressed into action by the latest injury setback in Diego Llorente's maiden season in West Yorkshire, which has been more stop than start.

“Phillips is a player with a big capacity to adapt to different positions on the pitch and at times where he has had to play as a centre-back in a back three, he has responded well and played with authority.”

To his left, Pascal Struijk “was very influential and contributed a lot to our defensive stability in the middle.”

Bielsa explained that Llorente had suffered an injury setback in training on Wednesday.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Bielsa refused to comment on Burnley's disallowed goal but unsurprisingly his opposite number Sean Dyche was unimpressed.

"I've no clue how Mee has fouled Meslier," he said. "If the referee (Robert Jones) gives himself five seconds he will see Mee has gone for a header and the goalkeeper is nowhere near Barnes or the strike. Mslier goes into the back of Mee with his knee. I am incredibly frustrated.

"Important decisions go against us."

Support The Yorkshire Post and become a subscriber today. Your subscription will help us to continue to bring quality news to the people of Yorkshire. In return, you'll see fewer ads on site, get free access to our app and receive exclusive members-only offers. Click HERE to subscribe.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.