OneFootball
Blaise Bourgeois·7 January 2020
OneFootball
Blaise Bourgeois·7 January 2020
With all eyes watching on Monday night, Leeds put on a show in the first half, clearly outclassing Arsenal and making many wonder who the Premier League giants actually were.
However, they weren’t able to find the net before the intermission, which allowed Arsenal to make tactical changes and win 1-0 thanks to a 55th-minute scuffed shot by Reiss Nelson.
After the match, manager Marcelo Bielsa was visibly proud of his team but admitted he should have done a better job at balancing their gameplan.
“We wanted to beat them and we tried to win the match,” he said.
“The first half was what we wished. We did three important things. We pressed well when they tried playing out.
“We made the first pass uncomfortable and easy for our defenders to anticipate and in this way we avoided the striker being involved in the play.
“When we recovered the ball quickly in the opponents’ half, we were able to combine with fast passes.
“That happened in the first half and we didn’t do it in the second half. We thought we were in good condition to repeat what we did in the first half and it wasn’t like that.
“In the second half, we understood it was difficult to keep control as we did in the first half. We should have tried to play the match more balanced.”
Bielsa was also full of praise for Robbie Gotts and goalkeeper Ilan Meslier, who were each handed their first-team debuts, as well as teenage substitute Jordan Stevens.
“About the three young players, Gotts, Meslier and Stevens, I think all of them did well,” he said.
[Gotts] is a player that added good positive things in the match. He made few mistakes. He has a simple play, he achieved to compete in good condition at this level.
“[Meslier] gave a great performance. The way he played is very positive for us, looking at the future.”
After their memorable performance at the Emirates, Leeds will switch gears and begin to prepare for their clash with Sheffield Wednesday, which will take place this Saturday.