Marcelo Bielsa hit back at a question suggesting he needs to change his style as Leeds United manager, insisting he tried to do so in the first half of his side’s 4-0 defeat to Tottenham at Elland Road on Saturday afternoon. Bielsa is under increasing pressure amid reports he could be removed from his position in the near future.
Leeds’ disastrous defensive form in the absence of captain Liam Cooper and defensive midfielder Kalvin Phillips continued as they were this time battered by Spurs despite centre-back Diego Llorente’s return from injury.
Only Watford have gone into half-time 3-0 down on more occasions than Leeds have this season, with this defeat the fourth time they have done so this term, one less than the Hornets in 2016-17.
Matt Doherty, Dejan Kulusevski and Harry Kane all scored in the first half to put Spurs in full control at the break while Son Heung-min added a late fourth in the second half.
The Whites are only the second team in Premier League history after Sunderland in 2005 to concede three-plus goals in five consecutive Premier League matches, having conceded at least four in all of their last three.
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Leeds have now won just two of 13 league games since the start of December, conceding 42 goals across that run with a dreadful 20 of those coming in their last five outings, giving them a -31 goal difference.
According to The Athletic former Red Bull Salzburg and RB Leipzig boss Jesse Marsch is being readied as a replacement for Argentine tactician Bielsa, whose future at the club is under serious doubt amid the Yorkshire outfit’s poor form.
Bielsa told BT Sport post-match: “I think the result is fair. We could’ve reduced the difference however. But we were never able to recover or dominate the game.
“Even if we created goalscoring chances, we never had a feeling of clear dominance over the opponent.
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“It’s a possible interpretation [that teams have worked out Leeds]. There are conclusions that the reality invites you to make [that Leeds could go down]. But there’s also another way of looking at things.”
“What’s concrete is that in the two ways we faced the game, with a more conservative profile in the first half and with a more daring profile in the second, neither of the two ways gave a result.
“Perhaps what you’re referring to is to play more in our own half. And it’s the resource that up until now I haven’t used and everything that hasn’t been attempted is always imagined as the solution.”
Leeds have now taken just one point from their last 18 and have conceded 60 goals after 26 games, with only Barnsley in 1997-98 having conceded more at this stage of the season, when they leaked 62.
Next up, Leeds take on Leicester away from home next Saturday before hosting Aston Villa the following Thursday. It remains to be seen who will be in the dugout for those matches.
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