Bielsa feeling the heat despite a cool display
Marcelo Bielsa admitted to feeling the pressure as Leeds United moved a step closer to a Premier League return with a win away to Blackburn Rovers.
The win moves the Elland Road club four points clear at the top of the Championship before West Brom face Hull today, and keeps them six clear of third-placed Brentford with five games to go.
But though his team ultimately looked comfortable on the pitch, Bielsa was an often agitated figure on the Ewood Park sidelines.
He’s eager to avoid a repeat of last season’s collapse, when Leeds failed to win any of their final four matches to blow automatic promotion before losing in the play-offs.
“Yes,” Bielsa said when asked if he had felt anxious during the match.
“Every match in this period is very important, and every distraction can be very important.
“If we get distracted we will pay for that so we need to keep focused in every match.” Bielsa had come out of a midweek draw with Luton frustrated by his side’s profligacy in front of goal. But there was no such problem here as Bamford dispatched their first chance of the game after Klich dispossessed Lewis Travis.
After Phillips’ superb freekick – his first goal since October – doubled the lead five minutes before half-time, Klich starred again.
He netted on the rebound when Jack Harrison’s shot was blocked, extinguishing hopes of a Rovers fightback sparked by Armstrong’s free-kick.
“He played a great match,” Bielsa said of Klich.
“He was the player who balanced the team.” Though Leeds went in at the break 2-0 up, it could easily have been very different .
Both sides hit a post, and Bielsa admitted Blackburn had given his side problems before a more comfortable second half.
“It was very difficult to imagine which kind of match we were going to have,” Bielsa said.
“The opponent was playing with different shapes, and they made some modifications we didn’t expect with Sam
Gallagher on the right, Joe Rothwell on the left and Armstrong)as the centre forward. That was new.”
But Tony Mowbray’s innovations were not enough to prevent a third loss in a row for Blackburn on the back of defeats against Wigan and Barnsley.
“I think we made a game of it in the first half particularly,” Mowbray said. “Obviously we missed a oneon-one and hit a post and they scored at strange times, just as we were getting back in the game.
“They come with an attitude that they believe they’re going to win football matches.
“They’ve got very good players and they spend a lot of time in your box.”