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Leeds fans were not happy when Marcelo Bielsa named an unchanged XI for the clash with West Brom, and Phil Hay’s verdict on the matter is even more worrying.
Bielsa named his Leeds XI at his press conference on Thursday, saying there would be no changes to his team or bench going into Friday’s epic showdown with West Brom.
The Whites had of course just come off a 1-0 defeat to an awful QPR side, and although the boss doesn’t really have many options at his disposal, a couple of changes for a third game in six days might have been advisable.
As well as the question marks surrounding his actual team selection, there has been plenty of talk about his decision to announce that selection at press conferences, and Hay’s verdict does not make pretty reading.
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What’s he said?
“(He) did it once before Spygate for FA Cup at QPR, but it felt like that was designed to explain/justify the mass of changes that were coming,” Hay tweeted, when asked about Bielsa deciding to announce his line-up prior to matches.
“Since then, it almost feels like deliberate transparency – perhaps as a riposte to Spygate.”
Cause for concern?
Hay is about as clued in on Leeds and Bielsa as anyone, and the Yorkshire Evening Post reporter’s comments are somewhat worrying.
Bielsa has proven time and time again that he is stubborn in a good way, with total faith that his system will work with the players at his disposal, but this may well come back to bite him.
If the gaffer really is announcing his team every week out of ironic spite then that is the clearest sign yet that he is feeling the pressure.
