Leeds United news: Pundit ‘worried’ by ‘big’ player issue after Bielsa confession
Alex McLeish has suggested the Leeds United squad may be suffering from “burnout” after defeats to Manchester United and Liverpool.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the former Scotland manager admitted he is “worried” the Whites cannot maintain their fast-paced “tempo” in games.
As quoted by Leeds Live after Wednesday’s loss at Anfield (23 February), Marcelo Bielsa confessed his side have “been struggling (with) what we want to do for the duration of a game.”
He suggested that is a result of players “giving their maximum” and insisted the “intensity and all the data” in games reflects that.
McLeish admitted it is a “big issue” for the Whites.
He suggested some players look to be struggling with the demands.
McLeish told Football Insider’s Russell Edge: “When something broke down for them, like against Manchester United, I’m looking and saying: ‘Where’s the rest of their players?’ The spaces were gigantic.
“I love Leeds, I love watching them and Bielsa but it makes me feel a bit worried about them. They’re still missing their best players. If two or three of those come back, it should make a big difference.
“But they are definitely on a spiral and it’s not in the right direction.
“You see aspects of their game: the speed they play at, the counter-attacking, the speed of their passing.
“Sir Alex Ferguson always said be assertive in your passing, really show your confidence with the ball at your feet. That’s what Leed remind me of.
“The only thing is they just couldn’t maintain the tempo. That is the other word that Sir Alex used, tempo. They couldn’t maintain it. You could see that in their game as they kind of fizzled out.
“Then you start to think about the other big issue, which I think we discussed before. Are they having to run too fast, too hard? I think they train the way they play, which is fine. But when you don’t have the energy to sustain it…
“Last year, we spoke about overworking players and getting injuries. Some of the Leeds players have suffered that.
“Bielsa did say there have been a couple of accidents where players fell on top of another. But you would think that the energy levels are on burnout for some of them.”
Leeds currently sit 15th in the Premier League table.
They face Tottenham at Elland Road on Saturday.
In other news, pundit has raised “massive concern” after “hearing from Leeds United medical team”.