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Marcelo Bielsa and his Leeds United in the PL (GW1) - a thread
What many describe as a 3-3-1-3 is actually just a basic 4-1-2-3. But to understand Leeds United, we need to understand that for Bielsa, formations are not markers to restrict players in a position, but rather a reference to identify which space to move into. I'll explain ahead
Back to the formation, the idea is that on whichever side of the pitch the ball is, in the build up phase, the respective full back shall stay deep instead of moving higher to create a diagonal option(which every team does). Thus the 2 CBs and the adjacent FB create a back 3.
Result: the opposition winger that is to press the Full back gets attracted to him leaving space behind. This makes the opposition CB drift wider to mark the free winger. This happened multiple times where Van Dijk was dragged out to leave Gomez isolated.
This is one of the many traps that Bielsa sets for teams to press him in areas that he wants them to. So if the opposition is pressing, it's probably because Bielsa wants them to. Now if this press doesn't come, it leaves an option of creating massive overloads in wide positions.
As with the 3rd goal, in situations where the ball is moved wide, Leeds have no qualms in gushing into the box or the edge of the area to create goalscoring situations. Leeds had a high chance - to goals conversion rate when it came to opportunities from out wide.
Moving forward, Bielsa plays with a single pivot. Even if there's a high press, central midfielders or forwards are not supposed to drop deep. The responsibility remains with the back 4 and no.6 to play out. If the press is too intense, the wide players must help out.
Bielsa also does this to ensure that the players have the starting positions exactly where he wants them to be. 2 players wide, 2 players for the runs in behind and 1 player for late runs in pockets left open due to the relentless rotation between the frontline.
Rotations : the base setup of playing 1 upfront looks nothing like it, in possession. The no.10 starts in between the lines but occupies the CB, also moving deep as the ball is moved wide. 2 wingers stay as wide as possible. The deeper midfield player then makes late runs...
These late runs are what confuses the centre backs while making decision making. A version of a similar style of play in the final phase is seen in Flick's Bayern Munich this season. Extensive rotation,specially with players who are starting from a wide position and moving inside
What this rotation creates is a sort of "M" setup. The rotation results in this "M" quickly moving into a "W" so as to pin back opposition full backs. Bielsa also relies heavily on his team's awareness to understand where the space will be created, moments before it actually is.
So you'll always find that more often than not, Leeds always find the perfect outball, playing in tight spaces or where the zonal numerical superiority is established and only the final ball is required to land the killer blow. For this to work Biesla's demand is singular: graft
Bielsa has taken a group of decent footballers & grown them outrageously. He demands a work ethic that is 2nd to none. Above all, he's ensured that the team may not have the best footballers but it definitely has the best students. #LeedsUnited #LIVLEE #Bielsa #PremierLeague #PL
