Marcelo Bielsa hoping Leeds United's style takes care of higher placing in Premier League

Leeds will take in the 22nd game of their first campaign back in the Premier League with Monday evening's clash against Crystal Palace at Elland Road.

Roy Hodgson's Palace side subjected Leeds to a 4-1 defeat in the reverse fixture at Selhurst Park in November yet Bielsa's Whites have regularly earned plaudits for their attacking brand of high press and fluent football.

The accumulation of 29 points has United sat mid-table ahead of Monday's assignment against Palace but Bielsa says his focus is first and foremost on United's brand of football, after which he hopes the rest will look after itself, especially if Leeds find the efficiency the Whites head coach desires.

"The most important thing is how we play, which allows us to finish where in the table," said Bielsa, pressed on whether a mid-table finish would be enough for him in United's first season back.

"If you finish eighth by not playing well, for me, that’s worse than finishing 12th and playing well, but it’s also true by playing well it’s easier to finish higher up the table.

"I hope we are able to play well and advance up the table."

Asked how much pleasure he took from Leeds often being refereed to as one of the most entertaining sides to watch, Bielsa said: "There’s those who find it entertaining to face a side who concedes as many as we do.

"Our team, like all the other teams, we choose to play in a certain style because we think it’s what’s going to bring us closer to winning.

"After, there’s a lot of aspects in football you can’t predict.

"The most important factor of all is the capacity to unbalance each player in their positions.

"If you take into account the form, the style, it brings you closer to the aspects that are most beautiful about the game, but the efficiency is the value we most look for."

Pressed on whether he was able to now reflect back on the season so far after 22 games, Bielsa reasoned: "If you use the reflections of what’s happened up until now to predict the future, normally, there’s very few times you get it correct when you look at the past and predict the future.

"The most important thing is how the team plays throughout the competition and I prefer to give an opinion at the end of the season.

"I have observed with a lot of frequency when you evaluate the past for a prediction on the future, you get it wrong.

"In all disciplines, if you predict what’s going to happen before it happens, it makes you think the person is wise.

"In football, you can’t do this.

"In football, those who predict things get it more wrong than they do right. This is logical because football is the biggest sport in the world because it’s very unpredictable."

https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/sport/football/leeds-united/paul-merson-responds-daft-jeff-stelling-question-outstanding-leeds-player-3126558

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Thank you Laura Collins