Has Marcelo Bielsa reached the end of the road at Leeds?

There can be no overstating the impact which Marcelo Bielsa has had on Leeds United as a football manager and a character. Indeed, the legendary Argentinean coach revitalised Elland Road, and the city around it, upon his arrival in the summer of 2018, taking the club back to the Premier League after a 16-year exile.

Yet the way things are going this season, Bielsa could take Leeds back down to the Championship with the Whites just five points off Burnley, who have played three fewer games, in 18th place. Successive defeats to Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal have deepened the sense of malaise around Elland Road with Leeds winning just three league games all season.

Under Marcelo Bielsa, Leeds United have earned a reputation for being one of the most dynamic, entertaining teams around but the 66-year-old’s methods are no longer achieving results. Injuries have been a factor in the Whites’ recent poor form, but the sample size is too big for Bielsa not to take any blame for the slide.

Bielsa might be a Leeds legend for the way he took the club back to the top but the decision makers at Elland Road mustn’t rule out making a managerial change if the situation demands it. The club has a greater duty to protect its Premier League standing than the employment status of its manager, even one as revered as Bielsa.

Of course, Leeds would be foolish to eradicate the principles and values Marcelo Bielsa has instilled in the playing squad in the event of a change of manager. The Elland Road could should instead look to find a successor who can build on what the Argentine has already achieved. There’s no need to start from scratch.

However, Bielsa might well be reaching the natural end of his cycle as Leeds United manager. The 66-year-old has never lasted this long (four seasons) at a single club before and it could be the case that a new voice is required to jolt the relegation-threatened team into life again. Something needs to change.

That is certainly the case in a defensive sense with Leeds United conceding more goals (36) than any other Premier League team this season. Bielsa’s man-marking approach has always given his side problems against opponents with a higher level of individual talent but it’s now making things difficult for Leeds against lower calibre teams too.

As a coach, the stubborness of Marcelo Bielsa has prevented Leeds United from evolving their style of play. The need for more structure has been apparent for quite some time yet Bielsa’s team continues to be too fluid for their own good. Opponents now have a better idea of how to contain Leeds, going a long way to explaining why results haven’t been so positive this season.

The loss of players like Patrick Bamford and Kalvin Phillips to injury have robbed Leeds of a lot, but they might not have the time to wait for them to return. On their current trajectory, the Whites are heading for a relegation scrap regardless of whether they have their best players available or not. If Bielsa can’t rescue the situation, Leeds United will have to find someone who can.

Leeds have made great strides under Marcelo Bielsa over the last three years but it will count for nothing in the long-term if it isn’t consolidated. The club’s owners have big ambitions to emulate the sort of success enjoyed by Leicester City and Wolves, both of whom have moved through different managers when the situation called for it. This is one lesson Leeds United might have to learn.

 

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