Jim Salveson, Matt Cunningham, Steffen Armstrong and Carl Jones all appeared on the most recent edition of the Football Social Daily podcast where they spent some time talking about Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa and the praise that he and his side have received from the media and fellow Premier League managers this season.
As explained by LeedsLive, Bielsa’s Leeds United side has been viewed as ‘a breath of fresh air’ for the Premier League by some this season and the Yorkshire club has been receiving ‘high praise.’
However, following the Whites’ 4-1 loss to Leicester City on Monday, Armstrong indicated that he thinks the level of praise Bielsa’s side has gotten this term has been somewhat over the top, saying:
“Do you not think there’s been a massive Marcelo Bielsa bandwagon going on over the last few months? I understand that this guy is perceived as a tactical magician, right? And all the right people are saying the right things about him – he’s lauded by people like Pep Guardiola, [Lionel] Messi, so on and so forth.
“So, he’s clearly at the top of his game – but has it not been overdone to the point where I don’t know whether it’s secret Leeds fans infiltrating chat rooms or who it is saying, ‘Leeds are going to finish in the top six this year’ – I think they’ve got to remember that they’ve come up from the Championship, and last night they were playing an established Premier League team so they’re probably not going to win these games.
“They need to settle for just having a good performance in the Premier League this year. Something like a 14th-place finish would be great for Leeds United.”
Have Leeds deserved the praise they have received this season?
YES
NO
TIF Thoughts on what Armstrong had to say about Bielsa…
While a top-six finish might be out of reach for Leeds, Bielsa’s side has started the 2020/21 Premier League season better than West Bromwich Albion and Fulham, who were promoted from the second-tier with them for the current campaign.
Fulham and West Brom currently sit in 17th and 18th place on the league table, respectively, while Leeds sit in 12th place on the league table. The Whites have earned more points (10) than West Brom and Fulham have earned combined (seven) at this point with all three teams having played seven games.
Furthermore, it may be fair to say that Leeds United have put in some impressive performances versus strong top-flight opposition already this season, as they lost by just one goal to defending Premier League champions Liverpool in their first league game of the season, while they took a point from their home clash with Manchester City, who finished in second place in the Premier League last season.
As per the Daily Mail, Bielsa was hailed as a genius by some long before joining Leeds due to an ‘intense style of play’ that ‘won him fans around the world’ and it would appear that he hasn’t compromised on his style in England’s top-flight with Leeds, given that his side’s ‘aggressive, attacking style of play’ is said to be one of the main reasons for the praise that they have received.
With that in mind, as well as their relatively positive performances in the league this term, perhaps Bielsa’s Leeds have received deserved praise this season, despite Armstrong’s suggestion that some admirers of the coach are bandwagoners.