Tony Cascarino
“I like the way that Marcelo Bielsa plays but if Leeds United are promoted to the Premier League, they are going to be like Fulham this year,” wrote Cascarino in his latest Times column.
“They would be ripped to pieces
“Bielsa’s game is very adventurous but it comes with risks, as Norwich City showed on Saturday,” continued Cascarino. “If you get good footballers on the ball, who can pass it, you are in trouble.”
“The style is fantastic — it is great to watch and it puts lesser sides under immense pressure — but, unless they change a few things, Leeds would be smashed to pieces by top teams.”
Now, for a start he is right on one point imo, but its nothing to do with the style, this squad would get hammered in the Prem imo.
We just arent clinical enough, full stop, you wont get away with that in the Prem.
We would need to change things yes, players, we would need some quality players brought in, not a whole new team, but 3 or 4 class players.
But how can you say this style would be "ripped to pieces" in the prem?
Its the same style used by the current Champions, the same style used by Barcelona, its brilliant, not flawless but thats where quality comes in. Bielsa isnt a mug, he does adapt, he did against Blades, he did famously against Barcelona, and you know what else his cheaply assembled Bilbao side did, played Scumchester UInited off the park, twice.
We would need some much better players in key areas, thats why the best sides make it work, the quality of the players and depth of there squads.
it is great to watch and it puts lesser sides under immense pressure
This bit, would any of us expect to be going in to the Prem and battering the top teams, no, so not sure what this has to do with anything, "lesser sides", thats basically the entire Prem then because there is very little to choose between almost all of them.
Also, guess which side out of us and Norwich have done better against the top 7 . . . .US, so P off.