The reason why Marcelo Bielsa is sticking with Kiko Casilla despite costly Leeds United errors

Leeds United head coach Bielsa has explained why he’s happy to keep backing the stopper, who gifted Brentford a goal on Tuesday when he failed to control a back pass in his area, ahead of another clash with a promotion hopeful at Elland Road this weekend.

According to the Argentine, it’s not a case of simply supporting Casilla but making decisions for the team’s benefit.

“I don’t support Kiko, I support the team,” he said.

“If supporting Kiko is supporting the team, I support Kiko. If I support Kiko but he harms the team, I am not going to support Kiko.

“When a manager takes a decision about an important position, he analyses a lot of situations.”

Bielsa says it’s not as easy as just bringing in another goalkeeper, even if Illan Meslier is ready and able on the sidelines.

“It is not just about if we have a player in his position who can play instead of him,” he said.

“We have this player, [Meslier] honestly for a long time I didn’t see a young player like him with resources like him.

“You also verified this against Arsenal.

“But it is not just knowing that we have a player in good condition like Meslier, on the bench, that makes you take this decision to move the keeper, in a position that is very, very important.”

The crux of Bielsa’s decision to stick with Casilla centres on confidence.

He recognises that the former Real Madrid man has made costly errors, but he also sees confidence in Casilla’s response to his mistakes and confidence in the way his team-mates pass to him.

“I don’t ignore the mistakes that Kiko makes that are evident,” said Bielsa.

“And also it is true that the consequence of his mistakes are linked with the result of the team.

“But I give a lot of importance that Kiko, in the same match where he makes mistakes and in the next ones, he kept confidence in himself and he continued giving the right answer in every situation in the game.

“Other keepers, for example when they fail in aerial play in the next situation they are between the posts, they don’t go up anymore. Other keepers when they give a bad pass, then they start to play long. Other keepers, when they make mistakes they lose the confidence of their team-mates and you have players who, when they realise the keeper made a mistake, don’t give him the ball anymore.

“So Kiko keeps the confidence in himself, he keeps the confidence of his team-mates and of course he lost the confidence that is expressed in the press and the media, that is something we know.”

Leeds have no fresh injury concerns ahead of the Bristol City game, but youngster Robbie Gotts is currently out of action with a muscular problem, Bielsa has revealed.