On the surface, it looks like we just need to buy in a couple of strikers to get us back to the Premier League, but I think there are a couple of areas Bielsa needs to look at.
1) Man management. I can't help feeling that a more experienced or charismatic manager would have managed to hold on to Saiz. Also, I think there was a difference of ideas between Bielsa and Pontus, which affected both of them. Giving away the goal against Villa was everything Pontus hates and he never looked the same afterwards. Pontus said that the manager is quite distant from his players. How does this impact on their motivation in key moments?
2) Increasing inflexibility as the season wore on. This was seen in his loyalty to players who weren't in form, and in his unwillingness to substitute when we were not playing well. Earlier in the season, he was much better than this. Just ask KP.
3) Indiscipline in the ranks. Key players getting sent off, penalties conceded in key games. Enough said, but the play-off was not the first time we have seen this. Tactical naivity and a lack of appreciation of the pressures of this league were evident here.
4) Bielsa's earlier affirmation that we could do this with a small squad. Was he protecting Radz and Orta here, for their failure to improve in January? His comments towards the end about missing too many chances, and about our players not being good enough to get promotion, seem to contradict his earlier assertions.
5) Managing expectations. Bielsa underestimated the way our supporters can intimidate our own players, unintentionally. In the Wigan and Derby games, the tōne of the crowd reached desperation point and players wilted. Our fans are a huge asset, but the players need to be prepared for what happens when they under-perform. We have waited 15 years to get a smell of the Premier League; they haven't. As Shankly said, it's not just a matter of life and death, it's more important than that.
6) He's been with us for a season. I would like to hear him speak English. Even broken English would do. People say he has a decent command of the language. Get closer to us, Marcelo, we really appreciate what you have done for us so far.
There is no doubt that Bielsa has been 100% a benefit to the Club, the community and the fans, but he was not wise to the ways of the Championship. I would like to hear what he has learned from this season, before pinning my colours to his mast for next season.
Questions Bielsa needs to address
posted on 21/5/19
Not one single manager could handle Cantona until Ferguson. Wilkinson was last of a long list.
For the millionth time Cantona put in a transfer request to leave the club.
posted on 21/5/19
Worth pointing out that of those 5 red cards, 2 were unfair. Jansson was sent off for failing over against Stoke, and Ayling got a second yellow for the exact same thing a Brentford player had done twice without a booking (then subbed to avoid the red). Whereas Blades avoided 3 possible red cards in just the games against us.
One thing I was disappointed in was the quality of the loanees. I thought given Bielsa's stature and the mutual respect he has with Pep and Poch, he would have got a better signing than Harrison.
posted on 21/5/19
That's just about my take on it 45 - Pablo's contribution is just so critical in the current team and a 46 games league is not easy for such a committed 34 year old.
posted on 21/5/19
comment by JonnyLosAngeles (My Dad was made in Leeds) (U9756)
posted 4 hours, 29 minutes ago
Lasogga played with high intensity and energy in his first few games. At the end if the season he was getting pain killing injections in his knee so he could play.
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May be true Jonny, and contrary to popular opinion he wasn’t overweight, it was all muscle... he just wasn’t, isn’t, ever will be a mobile frontman. Not a hope in hell Bielsa would ever want him.
Bookmark that for when he signs next week
posted on 21/5/19
Very true,Leeds fan. When Pablo is not on form, neither were we.
posted on 21/5/19
Re the OP.
1. Bielsa is about as experienced as it gets. Charismatic? Depends on your definition. I’d question whether he has the right persona to get people set for big games, i’d Go as far to say that his intense nature can load tension into his players which probably didn’t help at the end of the season. But Saiz? Nah, it’s pretty straightforward, your whole ethos is about teamwork, military fitness regimes. If one guy takes the mick you can’t tolerate it because your authority is questioned and others will start to duck out too. He was right to get rid of Saiz. The mistake was not replacing him.
2. Half agree with. He’s always inflexible and likes to stick with a team. The games he made early subs in first half of the season we were getting over-run. Most of the games we lost in the second half of the season we were looking the better side... there wasn’t a tactical reason to change... and there was just a bunch of kids on the bench to change them for. I thought he got some of his selections and subs wrong, but it’s easy with hindsight.
3. Not tactical naivety (unless you consider his entire style of play tactically naive)- individual player mistakes. The criticism if there is one is in having the right calibre of players in the squad.
4. Yep agree, the million dollar question is whether he was demanding players, whether he understood when he signed that we were pretty skint so he toed the line... or whether he genuinely believes what he was saying about being happy with the squad.
5. Don’t get this point. How do you know whether he manages expectations or not. What should he have done differently? Sports psychologist?
6. Some fair points here.
Honestly though, he isn't going to change is he? He backs his philosophy and frankly he’ll tell you that it works in this league. He’d be right.. What didn’t work was not enough good final balls and finishing. He’ll put that down to player calibre or his poor coaching!
posted on 22/5/19
Very good comments, Milky, I'm tending to agree that it all comes down to the quality of players. In the end, it just wasn't there. Bielsa got every last ounce of commitment and endeavour from them, but we were a Chris Wood short of promotion.
posted on 22/5/19
Having read through all of the comments, its hard to completely disagree with any of them (apart from getting Lassoga back ) None of us seem to be at polar opposites, just slight degrees of where we agree and disagree.
The best thing about this thread and the bit I enjoyed the most? It was all about football without anyone being called a f**cking idiot for having an opinion.
posted on 22/5/19
comment by All the Bielsa ringing (U19827)
posted 12 hours, 27 minutes ago
In response to LIW and Doha who raise valid points, we got 5 red cards this season, all of them were defenders - Casilla, Berardi, Pontus, Ayling and Phillips. Norwich got 2 reds, and even the thuggish Blades only got 3.
As for Saiz, I was reminded of LUFC's worst managerial decision of all time, selling Cantona to the Sucm. Wilkinson just couldn't manage him, but Ferguson could. Saiz is not in the same class, but these are the players who, if you get it right, make all the difference.
As for squad size, Doha is right, it's the quality that counts, and we didn't add to ours in January. Other teams improved and overtook us. I don't think luck had anything to do with it.
Bielsa is a humble, private individual, with a huge amount of footballing intelligence, but he doesn't have what Pochetinho, Klopp or Guardiola bring to their clubs. Do we need that personal magnetism for the Championship? I would like it, for sure, but in terms of the improvements we saw this season, it is not the most important factor.
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SS is not mentally strong enough to play for the mighty Leeds Utd
posted on 22/5/19
SS wasn't strong enough for Marcelo, but he's a hard taskmaster. Neither was Izzy Brown, but we all know there is a quality player there. These are the players who can make a difference.There are questions about his man management for me.