Chris Wilder has heaped praise on Marcelo Bielsa ahead of the huge Yorkshire derby on Saturday, dubbing his team “outstanding” and his contribution to the Championship as “massive”.
The Sheffield United manager also admitted that Norwich and Leeds had been the two standout teams in the Championship and that it would take a lot to dislodge them from the automatic play-off spots.
Wilder was talking on the Jim White Show on talkSPORT (11.40am) on Thursday.
“I think he’s been a breath of fresh air to the division,” Wilder said.
“I’ve watched his team, watched Leeds closely, they’ve been outstanding this season. They’ve got lots of great players and he’s not scared to use young players.
“Innovative, he’s been excellent in his approach and his influence on Leeds United and the division is massive.”
Jim White asked him what he made of Pablo Hernandez, the Leeds attacker who’s been in brilliant form recently.
“Just look through his CV, Champions League, Spanish international, plus they’ve got Bamford and others, they’re a proper team.
“When you look at the top teams in the division, Norwich and Leeds have been the outstanding teams all season, and they’ll take some moving from anyone below.”
OPINION
These two managers seem to have a lot of respect for each other and the game on Saturday will be a fascinating one. Wilder is obviously trying to play down his team’s chances, saying Leeds and Norwich are the two standout teams, but it’s a fair assessment. Leeds have been on top of the Championship longer than any other team this season, and Norwich are flying and scoring goals for fun. Wilder also said that it won’t be the end of the chase for automatic promotion for Sheffield United even if they lose at Elland Road on Saturday, but it would be a tough road back. If Leeds win they’ll be five points clear with just eight games to go, and they’ll have all the momentum with them. Sheffield United would then have to win the rest of their games and hope Leeds slip up twice. It’s too early to say Leeds will be promoted if they win, but we’d put them at 1/2 shots if we were the bookies.