'Let's not beat around the bush' - Warnock predicts 'fireworks' at Leeds after shock FA Cup exit vs Crawley Town

Stephen Warnock has claimed that he expects there to be “fireworks” at Leeds United following Sunday's shock FA Cup defeat at the hands of League Two Crawley Town.
Marcelo Bielsa. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)Marcelo Bielsa. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
Marcelo Bielsa. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

The Whites crashed out of the competition with a 3-0 loss against their lower league opposition, and have now failed to make it past the third round since 2017.

Marcelo Bielsa's side struggled to find any kind of rhythm at the People’s Pension Stadium, and speaking on Sky Sports News’ Football Show, former Elland Road full-back Warnock suggested that their performance was a far cry from the Whites’ usual level of output.

He said: “It could have actually been more.

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"I thought Casilla, the goalkeeper, didn’t cover himself in any glory at all, didn’t help out his defenders.

"I just thought, we’ve talked about it with teams that have progressed, attitude and application going into the game, and it was almost, you feel that Leeds’ application, or attitude and concentration levels, weren’t quite at their best. They felt that they could go into this game and sort of amble through it.

"It wasn’t the usual performance that we usually expect from a Leeds United team, where they’re very dogged, they’re pressing high, they’re very thorough in the way that they play the game.

"It is a big concern because their FA Cup run is terrible, let’s be honest. Let’s not beat around the bush, it’s not a good record at all, and I’m sure Leeds United fans will be furious with what they saw at the weekend.”

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Warnock then went on to claim that Bielsa will demand an immediate response from his squad.

“He’s the type of manager where you know that coming in after the game, there’s going to be fireworks”, he said.

"There’s going to be a lot said about it, then back onto the training pitch. He will not accept that performance at all.

"I think we’ve seen a reaction from Leeds pretty much every time that they’ve had a defeat this season, in a positive way, so I fully expect Bielsa to put that right.

"I expect the players to be embarrassed and rightly so, and I think that will have dented their pride a lot. The response has to be a positive one, and I do expect a positive response.”