Leeds United warned to shake off ‘kamikaze’ Marcelo Bielsa trait by ex-Liverpool and Rangers star

Former Liverpool and Rangers defender Graeme Souness feels that Leeds United have been unable to shake off the ‘kamikaze’ style of football the played under former boss Marcelo Bielsa.

The Whites were promoted back to the Premier League under the Argentine and finished ninth in the top flight in their first season back in the elite of English football.

However, a poor run of form and a slide towards the bottom of the table saw Bielsa sacked and replaced by Jesse Marsch last February. Leeds survived on the final day of last term but Marsch was relieved of his duties this February after a run of four wins in 20 league games.

He was eventually replaced by Javi Gracia but after three wins in his first six games in charge, Leeds suffered back-to-back defeats against Crystal Palace and Liverpool, conceding 11 goals in the process.

Souness believes the next run of games against Fulham, Leicester City and Bournemouth are vital for the Whites’ survival hopes, with both Man City and Newcastle United to come in their final four games. They also host Tottenham Hotspur at Elland Road on the final day.

“The identity a side establishes in its great years can set the tone for decades but Leeds arrived in the Premier League set on a course of kamikaze football under Marcelo Bielsa. They don’t seem able to shake themselves from it,” Souness wrote in his Mail+ column.

“Against Liverpool, Javi Gracia did have them sitting in, playing counter-attacking football. But I think we’re still seeing Bielsa’s legacy here. His brand of football was one that any neutral in the Leeds area would want a season ticket to watch. But you know it’s fraught with danger and can often bring disappointment.

“The approach is: ‘We can outgun everyone.’ No you can’t. Not in the Premier League. When you’ve come up from the Championship, it’s a quantum leap, not just a few rungs up the ladder. You think you’re going to take on Manchester City and Liverpool at their game. Really? It just doesn’t work, watchable though it might be.

“They’re two points off the relegation zone, with Newcastle United and Manchester City among their last three games, so they need to win points – as soon as. Starting with the lunchtime kick-off at Fulham today. They don’t want to reach those last games having to win them – ridiculously compounding the pressure on themselves.”