AT RISK Marcelo Bielsa ‘on the brink of being sacked’ by Leeds with former RB Leipzig and RB Salzburg manager Jesse Marsch in line to replace Whites boss - Talk Sport 26/2/22
Anish Dogra
Marcelo Bielsa could be sacked as Leeds United manager amid
the team’s desperate run of form, with a former Whites player telling talkSPORT
he is ‘worried’ for his old club.
talkSPORT understands that former RB Leipzig and Red Bull
Salzburg manager Jesse Marsch has been identified as the top target to replace
Bielsa after yet another drubbing for the Yorkshire outfit.
It’s been a miserable period for the club, who suffered a
4-0 demolition by Tottenham on Saturday afternoon to leave them at serious risk
of Premier League relegation.
The defeat was followed by recent heavy losses to Liverpool
in which they shipped six goals, and against Manchester United where they also
conceded four.
The report also stated Marsch had been sought out as a
replacement for the Argentine in the summer, but that process could now be
accelerated if Bielsa is sacked by the club.
Should Bielsa leave, it will be a hard pill for Leeds fans
to swallow following his appointment in 2018.
After a 16 year absence, the iconic coach guided the club
back to the Premier League in 2020, and saw his Leeds side become one of the
most entertaining teams in the division.
He guided them to ninth in their first season back in the
top flight last term, but unfortunately his side have not fared well in this
campaign.
Leeds have the worst defence in the league having conceded
60 goals in 26 games, which has seen them slide to 16th in the league. They sit
just three points above 18th placed Burnley, who have two games in hand.
Former Leeds defender Micky Gray was at Elland Road for
talkSPORT and he said all does not look well behind the scenes of his old club.
And he claimed the players have simply lost trust in
Bielsa’s plan.
He told talkSPORT: “What’s that, 20 goals in the last five
games? There’s something not right. That’s not saying to me this is a team
showing fight to stay in the Premier League.
“We’ve enjoyed the football that we saw from them last
season when they were winning games… but we’ve been saying it since Leeds
United got back into the Premier League – where’s that Plan B?
“As players, how can you believe in what you’re seeing right
now? You come into the Premier League and yes it’s great to have them back
after 16 years of trying, but they can’t be enjoying this.
“Certain parts of this stadium are starting to lose faith in
Mercelo Bielsa. If you stick with him for the final 12 games of the season, the
next manager who comes in might be managing in the Championship.
“And from what I’ve seen this afternoon, that is going to be
the case.
“Your foundations have to be right as a football team. If
you’re not scoring enough goals to win matches, you have to try and keep clean
sheets. They’ve only kept two or three clean sheets over the whole season,
which is clearly not good enough.
“Sides are enjoying coming to Elland Road, and you shouldn’t
enjoy coming here and having such an easy night. It’s been too easy.
“My old football club, I’m really worried for them. Apart
from Raphinha, I don’t know where the goals are going to come from and just
cannot see how they can clean sheets. I’ve just witnessed a game where I’m
still scratching my head as to what system leeds were playing. Bielsa made
three changes to the system in the first half.
“The supporters will always stay with them, but there’s a
point in the time when you have to point the finger at the manager or the
players, and I’m not seeing anything from the players at all.
“Biela has said he wouldn’t walk away from this club, but
Leeds performances from their last three are the kind that make you walk away
from a club.
“He must know he’s not getting what he wants or needs to get
out of his team at the moment. He’s been at the club a while now, but he’s not
getting anything out of that team.
“It’s not working for them, and the experienced players have
maybe got to go to the manager and say’ whatever we’re doing at the moment is
not working, we’re not comfortable with the system and we need to change things
up’.
