Former Leeds United talisman Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink has claimed that the Whites were damaged ‘psychologically’ by some poor results this season.
Marcelo Bielsa’s side just fell short in the race for automatic promotion, before being beaten by Derby County in their Play Off semi final clash. Hasselbaink delivered a blunt assessment on the team’s campaign.
“They didn’t win enough games, it’s as simple as that,” he told the Daily Star. “The games they should have won; Ipswich, Wigan, Brentford away, Millwall – they didn’t win. “And to be champions you need win them, especially when you’re playing against 10 men and winning against Wigan at home.
“I think that damaged them a bit psychologically, but obviously they still had a magnificent season and played the best football in the league. But, they’re still not back in the Premier League.”
OPINION
Hasselbaink frames Leeds’ season in a pretty black and white manner, here, but it’s hard to argue with what he said. Bielsa’s team didn’t win enough games that they should have won, with the ones listed by Hasselbaink standing out as particularly egregious. They had the chance to secure automatic promotion but they let it slip. Fair play to Norwich City and Sheffield United, they deserve to be Premier League teams next season, but if Leeds had held their nerve then they would have been in one of those automatic spots. It’s hugely frustrating, but that’s just the way it is. As for Hasselbaink’s claim that the Whites were psychologically damaged by some of their poorer results this term, you do have to wonder if there’s something in that. When you can’t close out games that you should be winning it must cause you to question yourself. All the Leeds players will have experienced that, and perhaps it contributed in some way to the second leg defeat against Derby.