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Moore: Vital Bielsa keeps belief at Leeds

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Former West Brom manager Darren Moore has refused to rule Leeds United out of securing promotion this season as he urges Marcelo Bielsa to keep his squad’s spirits high.

The Whites suffered a major blow to their hopes of sealing an automatic return to the Premier League on Sunday with a defeat to Brentford, the loss leaving Bielsa and his men three points behind Sheffield United in second with just two games left to play.

Sending a message to Bielsa that a positive attitude was crucial if Leeds were to secure success either in the top two or in the playoffs, Moore, who was sacked by Championship rivals West Brom earlier this season, refused to rule out another change at the top before the end of the season.

He told Sky Sports News (23/04): “It’s a damaging blow, Marcelo’s just got to pick his troops up now and the way he’s got to look at it is from a psychological point of view. There’s still games to play, it’s not over yet, so they still have to still keep going.

“You never know what can happen next week, but if it is to be the playoffs for Leeds, they’ve had two shots to try and get in the Premier League, the chance where they’ve tried to get it automatic, now they’ve got the chance if it is through the playoffs.

“It’s vital that he picks them up and it’s vital he keeps positive messages going through at Elland Road. The fans will be disappointed, everybody will be disappointed. They’ve got to lift their heads up and look forward to the next game.”

Opinion

Moore is absolutely right in saying that everything can change in the space of a week but really it is looking beyond Leeds now. It would take a collapse from Sheffield United to see the Whites with a chance of sealing a top two finish and considering how the Blades have been playing, you cannot see them slipping up between now and the end of the season. Having been in the Championship only a couple of months ago, Moore knows what Bielsa is going through and the Argentine will no doubt be doing exactly what his managerial counterpart has said. The Leeds squad cannot afford to lose hope and belief now, otherwise their playoff campaign will be left in tatters. They need to turn all their attention to getting back to their best and ensuring they have the momentum to seal the victories they need to give them the best hope of a Premier League return.

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