Leeds United v Sheffield United: Marcelo Bielsa has learnt plenty from opposite number Chris Wilder

MARCELO BIELSA will not be drawn on Chris Wilder’s suggestions that Leeds United have been the best team in the Championship so far with Bielsa himself having “learnt a lot” from Saturday’s hosts Sheffield United.
INFLUENCE: Blades boss Chris Wilder.INFLUENCE: Blades boss Chris Wilder.
INFLUENCE: Blades boss Chris Wilder.

The Blades and Leeds will lock horns at Elland Road on Saturday lunchtime with just two points separating the two sides in third and second.

Blades boss Wilder heaped praise on Leeds in his Thursday-morning press conference, insisting his Blades outfit were coming up “against arguably the best team in the division for the past eight months.”

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Leeds are only two points adrift of leaders Norwich City with the Whites, Canaries and Blades breaking away in pursuit of the two cherished automatic promotion spots.

But Bielsa said he was reluctant to discuss his side’s so-called superiority or otherwise with the Whites head coach extremely complimentary about Wilder and his United side whom Leeds beat 1-0 at Bramall Lane on December 1.

A Pablo Hernandez strike after an error from Blades goalkeeper Dean Henderson was enough for Leeds to settle the reverse tie in December, before which Bielsa said the work of Wilder deserved to be “studied”.

Asked about Wilder’s comments on Leeds being arguably the best team in the Championship over the last eight months, Bielsa said: “I don’t like to make comments on my team being superior or not above anyone else.”

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Giving his thoughts on Sheffield United under Wilder, the Whites head coach reasoned: “Teams say a lot about the head coach they have and I have learned a lot from Sheffield United. It is one of the teams from which I have learned the most.

“They have a new style of playing and have been faithful to their style all season.

“Each player is giving the best of himself.

“If you have a look at the players before at Sheffield you can see clearly an evolution.

“When we won against them it was a hard win. And probably we didn’t deserve to win.

“For us, it is a big challenge to play against them and to try and win the game.

“Our goal is to overcome Sheffield and to win against them.”