Steve McManaman touts simple solution to evolve 'magnificent' Leeds United

BT Sport pundit Steve McManaman has hailed Leeds United for their swashbuckling approach to life in the Premier League.

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Marcelo Bielsa, Manager of Leeds United. (Photo by Nick Potts - Pool/Getty Images)Marcelo Bielsa, Manager of Leeds United. (Photo by Nick Potts - Pool/Getty Images)
Marcelo Bielsa, Manager of Leeds United. (Photo by Nick Potts - Pool/Getty Images)

The Whites have become renowned for their relentless attacking style under Marcelo Bielsa, and have been involved in some of the most entertaining matches that the top flight has seen this season.

Friday night’s clash against Wolves was a decidedly muted affair by their own high standards, with an unfortunate Illan Meslier own goal ultimately deciding a tight game.

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But McManaman was still eager to praise Marcelo Bielsa’s side.

Speaking on BT Sport’s coverage of the match, he said: “They’re brilliant, aren’t they? I can’t criticise them at all as I love the fact they play like they do.

“It’s their first season back in the Premier League, so they’re going to evolve.

“The longer they stay in the Premier League, they will learn from how other teams are going to play against them.

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“They’ll bring in new players and evolve as a starting XI and they’ll probably get better.

“Ever since their first game back, they’ve been absolutely magnificent to watch.

“Admittedly, you don’t know what you’re going to get, you don’t know if they’ll score four or let in four but that’s the exciting thing about watching Leeds games."

McManaman also went on to address Leeds’ struggles when it comes to defending set-pieces.

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The Whites have conceded 11 goals from dead ball situations this season – the joint-highest tally in the division.

Referencing the issue, the former Liverpool and Real Madrid man said: "It's the fact they've come into the Premier League, they want to play their attack-minded football, they want to throw people forward, so at times they leave themselves vulnerable at the back.

"Yes, they've been caught out on set-pieces and that's something they're going to have to work on because that's easy to get on the training ground and work on.

"You just have to be more aggressive, you just have to mark the people if you're man-marking and be more solid in there.

"I think the more they stay in the Premier League and evolve, the more they'll start to address those issues.

"The main thing is, they keep running forward and scoring more goals than anyone else."