Leeds United show Aston Villa why wounded Marcelo Bielsa was as confident as Steven Gerrard - Graham Smyth's Verdict - YEP 10/2/22

Listening to the Aston Villa and Leeds United managers before their chaotic Villa Park clash, one sounded full of confidence and the other sounded reflective and perhaps even wounded.

By Graham Smyth

Where Steven Gerrard was talking about Villa being in a good place thanks to the international break, Marcelo Bielsa appeared to be taking issue with the narrative that followed the Newcastle United game and taking the blame squarely on his shoulders.

Gerrard spoke of a reset, the work they put in on identity and their future hopes. Bielsa painstakingly explained selection decisions that had come under scrutiny in January.

But beneath the talk, both men had confidence. Philippe Coutinho surely played a part in Gerrard's positive thinking, a January loan signing with a proven pedigree that, in Bielsa's words, spoke for itself.

Bielsa's confidence came from the body of work he has put together at Leeds and his side's proven pedigree when it comes to battling back from adversity and disappointment.

His confidence was right there in his team selection, making no changes from the Newcastle defeat and once again, in the face of widespread criticism and discontent, sticking with Daniel James up front. Even when Leeds were shredded by Coutinho's rapier passing and staring down the barrel of another loss at 3-1 down, you knew nothing would change about Bielsa's outlook, belief or his plan.

The reward was a point from a magnificent fightback in a truly compelling, madcap game, and a 3-3 draw that could so easily have been something even better for Leeds.

Villa looked as confident as their manager hoped in the early minutes and Leeds looked like a side who knew what they wanted to do, but couldn't quite execute. A Tyrone Mings header was kept out at the near post and a Matthew Cash cross whizzed through the area after he got in behind Jack Harrison.

For Leeds, passes were going astray and the routes out of their own half were blocked off, which put them under significant stress. Diego Llorente and Illan Meslier passed themselves into trouble to concede a corner but Leeds continued to take risks.

It was a dangerous Luke Ayling nutmeg on Coutinho, in the visitors' box no less, that finally unlocked space and allowed the right-back to drive all the way to the final third and win a corner.

That was all it took to unlock the Whites' confidence and one nice ball into the channel later, Villa were panicking, Rodrigo putting enough pressure on the defence to force an error, James arrowing a perfect low shot into the far corner.

The opener relaxed Leeds further and allowed them to play with freedom, while Gerrard's men looked rattled.

By 17 minutes, Tyrone Mings was hopping mad with Lucas Digne and Villa were exasperated with referee Jarred Gillett for letting a number of physical challenges go as Leeds nipped and barged in to steal the ball and counter.

The home side recovered their composure, however, and by the midway point of the half were causing just as many problems as Leeds, finding men in space in the middle and working the ball wide to deliver low crosses.

With the game so open, chances flowed for both sides. Mings headed wide after shrugging off Llorente and then Harrison and James put together a move that deserved a goal but instead, the Welshman's shot cannoned off the crossbar. Everything changed from that moment as Villa, or more specifically Coutinho, took complete control.

He ghosted into an acre of space in the Leeds area to receive a Cash cross and produce a finish every bit as accurate as James' opener. He spun Ayling to create a chasm in the middle of the park and tore the Leeds backline asunder with a pass that left Jacob Ramsey with just Meslier to beat, which he did. The Brazilian's next trick, with Leeds pulled completely out of shape, was to repeat his last one, another inch-perfect pass putting Ramsey in behind and this time youngster added an even better finish, roofing his shot.

A punchdrunk Leeds side somehow steadied themselves long enough to land the final blow of the half, good work from Klich and Rodrigo forcing the ball up into the air towards the back post where James rose like a targetman to bundle a header into the net.

The goal, coming when it did, put a question mark in Villa heads as they went off for the break and they failed to emerge from the dressing room with the confidence they had shown earlier.

Leeds had plenty of early second half possession but only a volley that Raphinha couldn't turn goalwards to show for it, while Villa almost profited from the Brazilian's carelessness as he tried a fancy turn in his own area, Digne flashing a dangerous ball across the box.

Villa, though, started to sit back and allowing Leeds to play was their downfall. Mings cleared a Struijk header off the line from the first Leeds corner that had beaten the first man all night. A second corner a minute later was taken short to Rodrigo and although Struijk's header from his deflected cross was blocked, Llorente was there to lash in the equaliser.

With Villa on their heels, Leeds pressed and pressed, forcing mistakes and creating a golden chance for a fourth when Rodrigo stole the ball on the edge of the box and fed Klich who couldn't beat Martinez.

A winner was only likely to come at one end, but arrive it would not. Not even when Ezri Konsa temporarily lost his mind and felled Meslier with an arm to receive a second yellow.

Eight minutes of stoppage time brought simmering tensions to the boil but nothing in the way of a game-changing incident.

As the sides left the pitch it was the away fans celebrating the result, one that will give everyone around Leeds plenty of confidence ahead of a clash with out-of-sorts Everton. Rodrigo looking like the 'great player' Bielsa has always proclaimed him to be and James adding end product to the tireless work he does in and out of possession, should see them keep their places with little in the way of dissent from anyone. Results and goals go a long way towards justifying selections and restoring faith. Bielsa, you imagine, will remain as confident as he was before this game, in what his team can do against anyone in the division.