I enjoy watching the way Bielsa’s teams play ………..but…….. it seems to me he needs to forget his principles sometimes. There comes a time when shop has to be shut for whatever reason and the oh so easy to get pulled all over the place man to man marking put away for another day. If you are doing the man to man stuff you need better players than the opposition. If it hadn’t been for the keeper last night it might - and really should - have been six or seven by half time. Twice in the last two seasons Manchester United destroyed them and both times even I, who has only managed at a youth level, watched in disbelief at the total naivety of the Leeds approach and the same was blindingly apparent last night. Ironically Bielsa did shut up shop against United at the end of the last season and the result was an incredibly boring 0-0…..and a point..
It is one thing being short on numbers (some of those that played last night will never be good enough at the top level) but the tactical approach was suicidal against a very good Arsenal side.