Stuart Dallas opens up on Marcelo Bielsa, a new position and 'owing one' to Wigan Athletic

STUART DALLAS is modest when it comes to assessing the quality in Leeds United’s dressing room.
MODEST: Leeds United winger-turned-full back Stuart Dallas in action during the season opening victory at Bristol City. Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images.MODEST: Leeds United winger-turned-full back Stuart Dallas in action during the season opening victory at Bristol City. Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images.
MODEST: Leeds United winger-turned-full back Stuart Dallas in action during the season opening victory at Bristol City. Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images.

“This group of players, we maybe aren’t the most talented in the league,” admits the Northern Ireland international.

Quite a statement about a team who took the Championship by storm for the majority of last term and are now firm favourites to win it one year on.

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That, though, says Dallas, is largely down to the man in Leeds United’s dugout - with the winger-turned-full-back thriving under Marcelo Bielsa who, he says, can make anybody a better player.

Dallas has proved one of the many success stories of the Bielsa revolution with the 28-year-old now approaching his 32nd outing under the Whites head coach in Saturday’s Championship clash at Wigan Athletic.

In times of need, Dallas has been one of Bielsa’s go-to men with the winger fielded in several positions under the 64-year-old Argentinian - be it winger, full back or wing back; left or right.

With Luke Ayling remaining sidelined after ankle surgery and not expected back any time soon, Dallas is currently making the right back spot his own and is again set to start in the position come this afternoon’s clash at the DW.

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The Northern Ireland international speaks modestly about his own start to the season - and of the natural talents of the Leeds squad as a whole - but not about the man responsible he says for totally transforming the Whites.

“I think I have started the season okay,” Dallas told the YEP.

“There’s still loads there to improve on but I think not just me but this group of players, we maybe aren’t the most talented in the league but Marcelo has got that about him that he can make you a good player and I think he has improved everybody.

“I am happy with how I am doing. Obviously there’s a still a lot to work on, this is still a new position for me even though I played there last season the majority of the time I was on the pitch but every day I am just learning.

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“It’s more difficult when I go to the international team because the two styles are so different.

“There they are a bit more defensive whereas here Marcelo wants his full backs to bomb on so you have just got to sort of keep the reins on a bit when you go away with Northern Ireland.

“But to adapt to different positions is just natural. I’m maybe not the best at some of the other positions but it’s just natural to do it. To play under somebody like Marcelo is great and to lean from him, I’ll just keep working hard and see where it takes me."

For now, the transition to right back will take Dallas to the starting line up come Saturday afternoon’s clash at a Wigan side who dealt a hammer blow to United’s promotion quest back in April.

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Needing ten points from a possible last 12 to mathematically guarantee automatic promotion to the Premier League, United took a 17th-minute lead through Patrick Bamford with Wigan already down to ten men after the 14th-minute dismissal of Cedric Kipre.

Nobody needs reminding of what happened next and Dallas admits his men now have a score to settle this weekend.

“There were obviously a lot more games than the Wigan game but it was definitely a big turning point in the season,” admitted Dallas.

“We were 1-0 up and cruising and they had a man sent off so we were disappointed.

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“We certainly had other chances other than that so we can’t really put it down to one game but I’m sure the boys will be chomping at the bit to get at them on Saturday. We definitely owe them one.”

That defeat ultimately led to a heartbreaking end to the season as the Whites first missed out on automatic promotion to finish third before losing their two-legged play-off semi-final against Derby County.

Fans, staff and players alike had the opportunity to relive what was until then a glorious campaign and consider what might have been through Friday’s release of the six-part Take Us Home: Leeds United documentary on Amazon Prime.

Dallas was planning to take a peak, and then planning a rather different end to Bielsa’s second campaign.

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“It will be interesting and it will be good,” said Dallas of the documentary.

“Obviously it didn’t end well but it just gives you an insight into how everything was on a day to day basis and the pressure of everything last season.

“How it unfolded isn’t obviously how we wanted it. It will be emotional watching it and if we can take something from it, it will be to go one step further this season.”