BIELSA’S A BAD LOSER
Blackburn ....... 2 Leeds .......... 1 Defeats starting to irritate Marcelo
MARCELO BIELSA called for his Leeds side to pull together and get back to winning ways.
Mateusz Klich’s strike cancelled out Danny Graham’s opener but his side tasted defeat on the road for the first time this season when Darragh Lenihan headed home. Just two wins in eight matches have undone their great start to the season and, after failing to return to the top of the Championship, Leeds boss Bielsa admits recent results are a cause for concern. “Negative results are always a source of worry,” he said.
“It is normal in such a long competition that there are ups and downs.
“If you link this to recent results this is a bad moment for us. We need to find a solution as soon as possible.
“I think we needed to win this game but we did not defend as we can do.
“We could have avoided the goals they scored because our defensive display was not good enough and they had other chances.”
His gameplan was undone by a bullet header from Graham after just two minutes.
The forward, 33, who made a handful of appearances for the Yorkshire club on loan in 2006, bagged his fourth of the season when he turned in Harrison Reed’s corner.
Both sides missed great chances early on in a show of attacking and counter-attacking football, with the lion’s share coming from the home side.
Their wastefulness in front of goal was punished just before half-time when Poland international Klich got the visitors back on level terms with a simple tap-in.
But Rovers got the victory that their fearless display deserved when Lenihan broke his duck for the season with 20 minutes left. The centre-back climbed above the Leeds defenders at the back post to head home second-half sub Craig Conway’s corner.
The introduction of Pablo Hernandez minutes later gave the visitors a much-needed lift and Bielsa’s team mounted a fightback through Klich – who was denied a second late on when David Raya acrobatically saved his volley which looked destined for the corner.
But Tony Mowbray’s side held on bravely to earn back-to-back league wins for the first time this season.
He said: “I am so pleased for the players and the set-pieces were something we worked really hard on.
“The international break was good for us coaches as we had more time to work on the opposition and it showed on the set-pieces.
“We knew they had two good headers of the ball and we extricated them and that allowed Graham to power through for the first and Lenihan for the second.
“I talk to the players about going to war, shining their shields and drawing their sword out of the sheath.
“That’s what this team can do. It’s not the most technical team in the world.
“I’ve had much more technical teams yet they give you everything they’ve got and a bit more every week.”