BAMFORD IS QUICK TO MAKE HIS MARK
Marcelo Bielsa continued his perfect start at leeds by winning his first english cup- tie despite wholesale changes to the team who thrashed Derby.
Debutant Patrick Bamford and Spanish midfielder Samuel Saiz gave leeds a 2-0 half-time lead with some of the best football seen at elland road for years.
and though it brought 20,000 Yorkshiremen to their feet in admiration, 63-year-old Bielsa preferred to remain seated on the blue ‘bucket’ he puts in front of the dug-out for a better view.
They are already used to such eccentricities from the former chile and argentina manager but there is method in his madness. Half his carabao cup team last night had never started a game for leeds before and yet they were bright from the outset.
‘even if the starters were new, they respected the style of the team,’ said Bielsa. ‘We had good balance and offensively were good enough to win by more. But of course when it’s 2-1 near the end, you get worried.’
leeds’ record this season is now played three, won three, with nine goals scored. Don revie, the only manager in the club’s history to have won the league cup, 50 years ago, will be looking down with pride as much for the team’s style as their results.
leeds used the full width of the pitch and nearly scored a fantastic opener when Bamford, a £10million buy from Middlesbrough, dummied to let Saiz gain possession, then ran on to collect his team-mate’s flicked pass, only to shoot wide.
The same players combined to make the breakthrough after 27 minutes. Saiz fed Bamford and he weaved into the area before finishing with great composure into the corner from 12 yards.
as the scorer celebrated, a phalanx of Bielsa’s assistants moved to the touchline to deliver the boss’s instructions to Swedish World cup defender Pontus Jansson. leeds were worth another goal and it duly arrived after 35 minutes. Bolton applied some rare pressure and paid for it after a devastating counter-attack. lewis Baker, on loan from chelsea led the charge and squared for Saiz, who cut inside and scored with a drive.
Bolton improved but could only get one goal back when erhun otzumer — dubbed the Turkish Messi — fired through a crowd of players on 52 minutes.
The club also took the odd step of announcing the departure of striker adam le Fondre on their website during play at 8.21pm. He is expected to move to australia.
Bolton boss Phil Parkinson said: ‘alfie (le Fondre) came to see me at the weekend and said he had been offered a three-year contract abroad. It was difficult to stand in his way. I didn’t know it would be announced during the game.’