Marcelo Bielsa credits three Burnley resources for Leeds United errors in Turf Moor draw

Marcelo Bielsa credited Burnley for forcing errors from his Leeds United side in the 1-1 draw at Turf Moor.
TOUGH AFTERNOON - Marcelo Bielsa's Leeds United found life difficult at Turf Moor, where they needed a late Patrick Bamford goal to rescue a point. Pic: GettyTOUGH AFTERNOON - Marcelo Bielsa's Leeds United found life difficult at Turf Moor, where they needed a late Patrick Bamford goal to rescue a point. Pic: Getty
TOUGH AFTERNOON - Marcelo Bielsa's Leeds United found life difficult at Turf Moor, where they needed a late Patrick Bamford goal to rescue a point. Pic: Getty

The Whites needed an 86th minute Patrick Bamford equaliser to rescue a point, having fallen behind earlier in the second half to Chris Wood's flicked finish.

It was a difficult afternoon for Leeds, with control changing hands at various points of what was a physical contest.

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Bielsa said Burnley' s disruptive tactics and players able to capitalise on mistakes made it a tricky game.

"The game, apart from two segments in the middle of each half, we were able to manage it," said the head coach.

"The situations that we created at goal were a lot, but for them as well. The difference is that for us to play well we need our creative players to be on top of their game. In the case of our opponents, similar to Everton, but today in a more marked way. They had three resources that were important - the capacity to force errors and take advantage of them through their two centre-forwards, the management of the set-pieces and they have a very distinct style of play. The style of play, it doesn't demand that their players shine, this is something of value when you're describing a team."

Although Leeds could have been accused of sloppy play on occasions, Bielsa was more minded to credit Burnley than chastise his team for carelessness. He did however admit that his style of play requires his players to be at their best going forward.

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"In the virtues I mentioned, of Burnley, I said they provoked errors and took advantage of them," he said.

"You say the same thing but in a different manner. You link that more to something bad that we did more than a virtue of the opponent. Perhaps you're in the right and my judgement is taken away through fault of our own. But there's something that's very true - a lot of the chances at goal that are created through that aspect, it doesn't come from their creative play, it comes because we facilitate it for them. For our game, the opposite happens. We need to be on top of our game to attack well but at the same time the styles, they have their risks. To have so much time on the ball, if you look for example the amount of touches they had, you would see they had double the number of the players in the opposition, that increases the chances of mistakes and it favours the opponent if they want to recover the ball from us."

Before the game it emerged that both Mateusz Klich and Junior Firpo had tested positive for Covid-19 and while Bielsa had originally intended for them to start, he felt Leeds could cope.

"They were going to play but we always have two players in each position ready to play," he said.

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"If Firpo doesn't play and Dallas does, it's a substitution of a similar level and the same with Klich in respect to Tyler Roberts and Rodrigo."

Bielsa also reiterated his belief that further transfer business before the deadline this week is unlikely.