From the very first moment of that first game against Stoke I was captivated by Bielsaball. There had been so much talk, so much hyperbole that summer about Marcelo Bielsa’s arrival in West Yorkshire but that Sunday in August 2018 his philosophy, his vision was clear and it was exciting! His exciting front foot football delivered a joy to Elland Road that had not been seen for years. A mid table Championship side turned into promotion contenders after just one summer. It wasn’t to be that summer but I was desperate for Bielsa to stay, desperate for him to give it another go because I had faith he could take Leeds back to the Premier League after so many years away.
The second season was a joy, one of the best if not the best I have experienced as a Leeds United fan. Sure, there were some nervy moments. Swansea and Barnsley felt like agony, even though we won. But deliver us to the promised land he did, Liam Cooper lifting that same trophy Gordon Strachan and Billy Bremner raised above their heads in the past. The city together behind the club like never before all thanks to Marcelo Bielsa. The country may have been in lockdown, but Leeds was bathed in white, yellow and blue as fans partied on Elland Road and Millennium Square.
We couldn’t have wished for a better first season back in the Premier League, a mid-table finish in our first year back for sixteen years with plenty of high-profile scalps on the way. Kalvin Phillips, an average box to box midfielder converted by Bielsa to one of the best defensive midfielders in the world impressed for England at the Euros. Our Brazilian winger getting his first call up, causing waves back home, build a partnership with Neymar. But it all started to unravel last summer when the teams returned to training.
Pre-season was worrying, victory against Guiseley was about as good as it got. Defeats to Fleetwood, Real Betis and Ajax followed a draw against Blackburn. As part of the Ziggo Sports coverage of the Ajax game Rafael van der Vaart had stern criticism for Leeds, predicting they would be in a relegation battle in the Premier League this season. Turns out he was right! Leeds fans may have railed against any talk of ‘second season syndrome’ but we are well and truly in trouble.
In every other game under Bielsa, no matter who the opposition were, I’ve gone into the game with hope and confidence that we could get something. But Wednesday was the first time I have expected us to lose, and badly. Leeds have now conceded three or more goals in four consecutive league games for the first time since March 1960 and we find ourselves slipping towards the relegation places. As those around us pick up points we flounder seemingly devoid of any ideas to fix our all so obvious defensive issues. If the opposition scored I always had confidence we could get a goal back, now if we score I have every confidence the opposition will score.
Of course, we’ve been troubled by injuries with key players missing but it feels like there are systemic failures, that it only takes one opposition player to beat his man to completely open us up is a grave concern. Have we been worked out? Are we just not performing as well? Is our lack of signings in summer and January costing us dearly? We weren't even playing that well when Phillips was in the side. Whatever the root cause of the issues, Bielsa seems to have no answers for the first time and that is deeply worrying. We may not have expected much from the last two games but a six-nil defeat is demoralising for both players and fans. It’s not acceptable and there are little signs of things turning round.
Losing to the top six would be easier to cope with if we were beating teams around us, but losses to Newcastle and Everton are even more concerning. With tricky games coming up against Tottenham and Leicester we could be bang in trouble before crucial games against Villa, Norwich and Wolves. As much as I love Marcelo Bielsa for everything he has done and as much as I will always love him for the joy he brought us no matter what happens this season, I have no faith that he will turn this season around and that makes me really, really sad.
A win against Spurs and I'll be a giddy schoolboy again but right now I feel deflated, defeated, I've lost faith.
