Huddersfield Town owner makes bold claim about Marcelo Bielsa's Leeds United squad

The Championship season is currently on hold until April 30
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Huddersfield Town owner Phil Hodgkinson says his side were beaten by Leeds United because of a superior system and not a better squad.

The Terriers chief believes that his team are 'better in most positions' despite the Whites completing the double over their West Yorkshire neighbours this term.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Marcelo Bielsa's outfit sit top of the Championship table with nine games remaining while Town trail Leeds by 29 points in 18th place.

Danny Cowley's men are hovering above the drop zone to League One with just a three-point cushion following relegation from the Premier League last season.

Gjanni Alioski and Pablo Hernandez helped United claim a 2-0 victory on away soil in December before Bielsa's outfit toppled the Terriers at Elland Road by the same scoreline last time out.

A Luke Ayling thunderbolt and Patrick Bamford strike earned the hosts the bragging rights before football across Europe was suspended due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Head coach Cowley heaped praise on Bielsa's men afterwards, but Huddersfield's majority shareholder appears to believe differently.

Huddersfield Town boss Danny Cowley instructs his players at Elland Road. (Image: Jonathan Gawthorpe)Huddersfield Town boss Danny Cowley instructs his players at Elland Road. (Image: Jonathan Gawthorpe)
Huddersfield Town boss Danny Cowley instructs his players at Elland Road. (Image: Jonathan Gawthorpe)

"The ambition for the club is there but you have to accept… it's not a money thing," Hodgkinson told And He Takes That Chance podcast.

"When we got promoted we got promoted because we had a manager who had a system that was better than the players we had, which is what is happening at Leeds.

"Bielsa's way of playing [is better than that squad].

"If you look at that Leeds game, if you cut those two squads together, I would not say, in my personal opinion, that Leeds have got better players than us barring one or two.

"I believe we've got better players in most positions.

"But on the day the way they played, they just outplayed us, it was the way they played.

"That's no criticism of our manager at all, quite the opposite, but they just had a better system."

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.