Marcelo Bielsa on Joe Gelhardt, Raphinha injury and a spirited Leeds display - Yorkshire Post 23/10/21

-


MARCELO BIELSA felt that his Leeds United side deserved more than a draw after fighting back to earn a deserved point in gutsy and spirited fashion against a seemingly in-form Wolves side.

By Leon Wobschall

At the end of one of the hardest weeks of his Elland Road tenure, by his own admission, United overcame adversity to claim a share of the spoils in stoppage time, thanks to a 94th-minute penalty from Rodrigo.

It owed plenty to the outstanding impact of substitute Joe Gelhardt, with fellow replacement Crysencio Summerville also producing an excellent cameo from the bench.

Summerville had replaced United's star turn Raphinha, who hobbled off in worrying fashion in the 54th minute.

Leeds were trailing to a 10th-minute opener from Hwang Hee-Chan and looking out of sorts amid a subdued atmosphere.

But the hosts, with just one win from eight league matches this term, refused to feel sorry for themselves and pushed for an equaliser in the final quarter with home fans buying into their spirit and heart in testing circumstances without the likes of Raphinha, Kalvin Phillips - an unused substitute on the bench - Patrick Bamford and Luke Ayling.

Bielsa kicked every ball from the sidelines and his side were rewarded late on when Rodrigo converted from the spot after Nelson Semedo's foul on Gelhardt.

Bielsa said: “We deserved something more than the draw. Apart from some things at the start of both halves, we had the control of the game.

"Progressively we started to get closer and closer to the goal and to have won the game would have been more in accordance with what happened on the pitch.

"It was a step forward. But compared to the game last week, it was a performance which outshone it and this performance looked a lot more like the team we are capable of."

On the impact of Gelhardt, he continued: "In the initial minutes when he came on it was difficult for him to get on the ball and in the 15 minutes he was causing danger constantly. Not only with the penalty but a few occasions he could have scored.”

Bielsa said that he has no current update regarding Raphinha, who went off following a challenge from Romain Saiss.

"He received a knock and we don’t know the extent of the injury yet,", the Leeds head coach added.

Popular posts from this blog

The huge initial fee Leeds are set to receive for Crysencio Summerville’s move to West Ham — Leeds United News 31/7/24

-
Will Butcher West Ham United are closing in on a deal to sign Crysencio Summerville from Leeds United, and Ben Jacobs has shared how much Leeds will receive for the Dutchman. The 22-year-old has been strongly linked with the Elland Road exit door all summer and was targeted as the one big sale Leeds needed to make before the Profit & Sustainability Rules deadline this month. But instead, Leeds sold Archie Gray for £40m to Tottenham. Leeds have since sold five more players in the form of Diego Llorente, Marc Roca, Kris Klaesson and Charlie Cresswell – raking in around £60m in total. But more exits were always likely and Fabrizio Romano reported on Wednesday afternoon that West Ham had agreed personal terms with Summerville, and talks for a fee were ongoing with the Yorkshire side. Now, the story has moved on with multiple sources claiming a deal is done between Leeds and Angus Kinnear’s old club. The Dutchman is expected to sign a five-year at the London Stadium, until Jun...
Read more

Leeds United board break silence after transfer window with statement on upcoming Elland Road development — YEP 2/9/24

-
By Joe Donnohue Leeds United have confirmed supporters' commemorative stones at Elland Road's Centenary Square will be replaced free of charge in a bid to improve their longevity. Beginning next month, Leeds supporters' personalised stones will be replaced with exact replicas, courtesy of a new company, to ensure of a 'much better quality' installation. The work is expected to take around two months to complete. An official club statement confirmed 'three larger stones dedicated to former managers Don Revie, Howard Wilkinson and Marcelo Bielsa' will also be installed, 'similar to those located in Bremner Square', while additional space for supporters to purchase new stones has also been factored into the project. “The club have taken on board recent feedback from supporters on the stones at Centenary Square, and we are really happy that we can now announce that all of the stones will be replaced," chief executive Angus Kinnear confirmed,...
Read more

Leeds United transfer state of play as Whites knock back low bid and assert wing pair stance — YEP 3/7/24

-
By Graham Smyth Leeds United are not actively looking to cash in on Crysencio Summerville and Willy Gnonto and believe any further outgoing transfer business will be done on their terms. The Whites, who sold Archie Gray to Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday for £40m, expect that there will be continued interest in wing pair Summerville and Gnonto as the summer transfer window progresses. Summerville has been a target for Premier League side Brighton and Hove Albion but their interest has not yet materialised into a bid. The Albion did, however, send a £30m proposal for Georginio Rutter, which Elland Road chiefs rejected. Rutter is not expected to try and force an exit this summer and appears settled at Leeds after a far more positive second season in English football. The sale of Gray has helped put Leeds into a position where they do not need to sell star players and can dictate any moves that do happen. Club sources say they are not actively looking to sell the likes of Summerville o...
Read more