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Leeds United returns to the Premier League. Not many promoted teams are hot topics like Leeds this 2020/21 season. The cause is not only the history of the club, but also the coach: Marcelo Bielsa.
Is Bielsa a crazy coach? in various meanings. One of them is in terms of tactics. Discussions of Leeds’ tactics while they were still in the Championship are familiar. In the first game against Liverpool, reigning Premier League champions Leeds were beaten 3-4 at Anfield, but the Argentine manager’s tactic stole the spotlight.
Liverpool vs Leeds match summary
The fundamental basis of Bielsa’s tactic is the constant and tireless movement when defending and attacking. While defending, Leeds implemented a system From man to man which is quite radical. After holding the ball, the Leeds players will not stop running and will try to take advantage of the opportunities from various schemes.
Attack
Leeds often tried to constructively build attacks from below. Kalvin Phillips as a defensive midfielder gives the option to progress through the middle, but the other two Leeds midfielders are in the upper zone. There is a disconnect between the lines, but if you see this happening throughout the match, it seems that this disconnection was done on purpose.
They do not play foot to foot from the lower zone to the lower third of the field. Leeds simply lured their opponents to do pressing and try progressions to Phillips. If Phillips is left alone, it can be dangerous because he has good bait accuracy in the hull. Leeds ‘first goal scored through individual action by Jack Harrison came from Phillips’ helmet.
After the goal occurred, Liverpool ordered high pressure they. Roberto Firmino did cover shadow against Phillips, so the path of progression was cut off. Leeds is not without a solution, they drop the bait straight ahead. Under these conditions, the roles of the two Leeds midfielders are quite crucial. The high position of Pablo Hernández and Mateusz Klich made it easier for them to take the second ball.
In this match, Leeds had more of the ball with 52% possession. But that does not mean that Leeds will patiently develop an attack. In fact, they play fast forward.
As mentioned above, the Leeds players did not stop running. This constant movement has several functions, that is, the opponent is hooked out of the zone, the bait option is always there, it makes the situation win numbers and attacks the space behind the last line of Liverpool.
Leeds players always make moves to get out of their original position. This idea was effective in breaking the formation. Liverpool’s defense, especially the central duo who are often pulled out of position to create space. In the process of Patrick Bamford’s goal, Joe Gomez was hooked away from the defense line. The goal came due to a mistake by Virgil Van Dijk, but it was effective in keeping Liverpool’s defenders off the line.
The Leeds combination game is also based on the active movements of the players. For example, at this time when Leeds drew up the plan third man run. Hernandez did give and go that is why it is difficult to protect Liverpool players. After receiving the ball from Klich, Harrison fired a direct pass to Hernandez. Although it did not become an opportunity, this scheme proved successful in penetrating Liverpool’s defense.
In addition, the movement of the Leeds players left them many options when they reached the last third of the field. There are almost always five players when they reach the last third of the field. The result was Klich’s goal that came from a Helder Costa cross. The more options, the more difficult it is for the opponent to protect.
Defending
Leeds implemented the system From man to man which is radical. The player is not afraid to get out of position when the person being protected moves to a different side. This tactic is high risk, but the payoff is worth it if done well.
The next two moments are examples of orientation. From man to man The Leeds are radical. Stuart Dallas as left back continues to follow Salah into the center area. When a service situation occurred, Robin Koch, who was positioned as a center-back, protected Firmino to the central third of the field.
Against a team of extraordinary individual quality like Liverpool, he was naive enough for Leeds to do this anyway. Leeds players are often faced with 1v1 situations against Sadio Mane or Mo Salah, situations that generally any team avoids. As a result, Mane logged five dribbles and Salah scored seven dribbles. It’s interesting to see how the mid-table team looks for a solution to Leeds’ defense system.
System From man to man keep the opposing players well but without protecting the area. A lot of space was created which Liverpool managed to access, especially the space behind the Leeds defense, which was penetrated through a diagonal ball. Liverpool managed to create many opportunities even though they were not used as goals. In total, Liverpool made 22 shots.
In addition to the system From man to manAnother form of Leeds defense that stole attention was the high intensity when pressing. Organization pressing they look messy like Manchester City or Liverpool, but the high intensity still makes it difficult for opponents. High determination and relentless running allowed Leeds to record 34 successful tackles out of a total of 53 tackles in this match.
If you are facing an opponent with a quality far below Liverpool, this tactic can be very difficult and exhausting for the opponent. This situation is not the norm in modern football, but Leeds have shown that this tactic can be used. Opponents who do not have good attacking quality will have a hard time finding solutions when facing Leeds defense system.
Transition
Counter press Leeds became the main option when he lost the ball. But if the opponent manages to win pressing Leeds well, they will organize the defense again.
Leeds are quite vulnerable in this phase due to the active movements of their players when attacking. As a result, Leeds were often understaffed when attacked, especially Liverpool’s front-line trio were extraordinary in their combination. Liverpool are in a 2v1 situation when they are on the fast break, although they don’t max out on goals.
When he managed to catch the ball, Leeds tried to counterattack. The Leeds players are ready to help attack quickly, so the number of players in front is quite a lot. Your counterattack objective is a direct pass behind the opponent’s defense line.
Set pieces
Situation pieces set contributed to three of the four goals scored by Liverpool. Liverpool’s second goal was scored by Van Dijk from a corner. Leeds could not anticipate the mechanism blocking Liverpool who kept Van Dijk under control and had room to free header.
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Leeds were also too focused on the ball, so the situation with the second ball was out of control. Liverpool’s third goal with Salah’s volley came from this situation. All the Leeds players focused on the ball so Salah had room to shoot. Salah’s kick was extraordinary and not many players could volley like that, but Leeds still had to anticipate well the situation on the second ball.
Liverpool’s winning goal also came from the corner. Phillips couldn’t clear the ball perfectly, so the ball was still in Leeds’ penalty area. All the Leeds players were glued to the ball, no one anticipated the second ball. Fabinho receives the second ball before Rodrigo fouls.
Situation pieces set cannot be underestimated. Last season, 21% of total goals by all Premier League teams were from set pieces. Leeds have trouble defending in set pieces. Last season, Leeds were the team with the fewest goals conceded with 35 goals in 46 championship games. That record could have been a lot better if Leeds had been able to prevent opponents from scoring with set pieces. 12 of the 35 goals scored against Leeds have been from set pieces.
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Despite their status as a promotion team, Leeds have shown that they cannot be underestimated. Amazing tactics and determination got the reigning champion into trouble. If Leeds had defended themselves better in set pieces, they could have stolen a point at Anfield.
The constant movement that became the basis of Leeds’ attack resulted in three goals against Liverpool. It is a sign that a team with several star players in the defensive area is also having a difficult time coping with the Leeds attack. It’s not impossible that Leeds can occasionally kill a team with a fragile defense.
Although Liverpool failed to score goals from the situation open game, Liverpool still have many opportunities for the system From man to man Leeds left a lot of space. Bielsa needs to better control this risk, especially against a team with quality attacks. Leeds can be a dark horse if you can anticipate this well.
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