Leeds United fined if they do and damned if they don't but Marcelo Bielsa's Whites must help themselves

The tale of two challenges, fairly similar in nature, had a different ending for the Whites than it did Arsenal, their visitors to Elland Road on Saturday evening.

First there was Granit Xhaka’s studs landing squarely on the ankle of Raphinha, nowhere near the ball. Referee Andre Marinner, in close proximity, awarded a throw-in. VAR had a look but decided the intensity of the challenge did not warrant a red card and could therefore not intervene, so play went on.

When, but a couple of minutes later, Joe Gelhardt lunged and caught the ankle of Takehiro Tomiyasu, the yellow card came quickly out of Marriner’s pocket.

The major difference between the tackles wasn’t found in the intent or the impact on the victim, but in the reaction.

Arsenal, ironically led by Xhaka, were drawn like flies to the scene of Gelhardt’s challenge, arms stretched out in aggrieved pleas for justice. They created a scene. When Raphinha was felled by Xhaka, only Adam Forshaw made much in the way of fuss. Mateusz Klich turned his head to look at the referee but there was no wholescale uproar.

It’s possible that, like Marriner, most of the Leeds players didn’t see just how bad the challenge on the Brazilian was.

It’s also possible that, having been fined by the FA for their vehement protests a week previous at Chelsea when Chris Kavanagh awarded a stoppage-time penalty, Leeds were on their best behaviour.

Even if the punishment for the Chelsea incident wasn’t in their minds, Leeds’ players know how their head coach Marcelo Bielsa feels about dissent or complaining when you’re hard done by.

“Swallow the poison... accept this injustice - everything will balance in the end,” he famously once told his Marseille dressing room.

Whatever the reason for Leeds’ lack of response to Xhaka’s challenge, they did not leave the same kind of impression in Marriner’s mind as Arsenal did when Gelhardt went in on Tomiyasu.

Xhaka, who also avoided a yellow card despite running to stand in front of the ball to prevent a quick Leeds free-kick - something that recently earned Raúl Jiménez a second booking and subsequent red - was eventually cautioned in the 86th minute for time wasting.

He and his Arsenal team-mates not only displayed a ruthlessness in possession that all-but killed the game in the first half, they showed throughout what some would call street smarts and others, Bielsa perhaps, would view as cynicism.

Gelhardt, a difficult man to stop when he’s running with the ball, was fouled six times as the Gunners quickly set out to stop him from building up a head of steam. It wasn’t dirty play but there was certainly no naivety about the way Mikel Arteta’s men dealt with the young forward.

Leeds, however, can stand accused of being naive of late.

They’re harming themselves with needless giveaways, poor touches and passes in dangerous areas that, against the best teams, are leading to almost instant and catastrophic punishment. They’ve struggled to stop ball carriers at source like Arsenal did with Gelhardt.

Bielsa’s tactics quite often take the blame when performances are analysed in television studios and, as head coach, responsibility ultimately lies with him but he’s not the one giving the ball away.

Last season Bielsa made it clear he wouldn’t be in favour of training his players in the dark arts of set-pieces - the blocking of runs and the pinning of arms that officials find so hard to spot or penalise - and he’s just as unlikely to arrange a training session for trips and tugs that can halt an attacker.

Asking him to betray his principles would be futile and Leeds supporters cherish the purity in his approach and values but, if his players took better care in possession and didn’t lose it so easily in their own half, they wouldn’t find themselves chasing uber talented shadows and needing to commit tactical fouls to halt devastating counter attacks.

They don’t need to become dirty Leeds, they just need to smarten up.

The injury situation is dire and cannot be ignored. The level of opposition in this run of four games is world class. But now more than ever individual errors need to be avoided because they’re killing Leeds.

As they have learned in the past two weeks, no-one else is going to help them. They’ve got to help themselves.