Jamie Redknapp has slammed Marcelo Bielsa for his Leeds United Powerpoint presentation and claimed it has heaped further pressure on his players.
Writing for the Daily Mail, the high-profile pundit claimed the United manager has made the club’s promotion bid even tougher by turning “every club in the Championship against him”.
Redknapp explained what Bielsa’s reaction to the spy scandal means for Leeds’ chances of winning promotion from the English second tier this season.
“For Leeds United’s sake, I hope Marcelo Bielsa’s press conference last week was not his Rafa Benitez ‘facts’ moment,” Redknapp told the Mail. “After his spy was caught red-handed, all Bielsa had to do was apologise.
“By revealing the extent of his data on each team, he has turned every club in the Championship against him. Winning promotion is tough enough without Bielsa heaping even more pressure on his stars.”
OPINION
There are two ways of looking at Bielsa’s already infamous 66-minute presentation. It has made Leeds the scalp that every team in the Championship wants amid reports 11 clubs in the division have launched a joint formal complaint about Bielsa’s spying. Conversely, the anger directed from rivals towards Leeds will forge a siege mentality at the club and among their huge band of supporters that will help push the league leaders over the finish line. Certainly, Bielsa’s decision to publicly detail how far he goes in analysing opponents has opened the eyes of the football world, and also attracted anger and envy from rivals. Some privately claim it makes them look less professional and hard-working by comparison, and is insulting. That is ridiculous. It was not Bielsa’s intention. He was merely being honest. Did he go too far? Redknapp thinks so, although only time will tell as to whether it has really backfired.