Leeds’ emergence from exile in the Football League means old rivalries are belatedly being renewed. Their final Premier League game of the 2003/04 season was against Chelsea. They have not been back to Stamford Bridge since. Until Saturday. “It is a traditional encounter even though it has not happened for a very long time,” said Marcelo Bielsa.
Chelsea against Leeds United is one of English football’s great south-north feuds. It is one of the more rancorous, notable for the spectacularly ill-tempered 1970 FA Cup final replay. The Premier League referee Michael Oliver watched it earlier this year and, using current interpretations of the laws, said 11 red cards were merited, two of them for Chelsea’s Eddie McCreadie. Half a century ago, there was a solitary booking.
If their last league meeting was so long ago that Lucas Radebe, who anchored Leeds' defence then, is in his fifties now, controversy was stoked more recently. Frank Lampard's penultimate game as Derby County manager was a 4-2 win at Elland Road, eliminating Leeds from the 2019 Championship play-offs. Bielsa had won three previous meetings, each less famous than 'Spygate,' the incident when a member of Leeds' staff was found observing Derby's training sessions.
Bielsa had deployed such methods elsewhere as part of his rigorous quest for knowledge. In England, however, it was deemed illicit and inappropriate. Leeds were fined £200,000 ($269,186), which the Argentine paid himself. He has not attempted a similar ploy at Chelsea’s Cobham complex this week. “I know the spirit of English football and the punishment I received according to what the authorities deemed [right] indicates to me that it shouldn't be repeated,” he said.
Rewind 21 months and Lampard was aggrieved at Bielsa’s spying, later questioning the Fifa Fair Play award Leeds received for allowing Aston Villa to score an uncontested goal. Bielsa was diplomatic ahead of a reunion. “The relationship I have with him is similar to the ones I have with the rest of my colleagues,” he said. “It’s not bad.”
Lampard has moved on since then. So, in a different way, has Bielsa, out of the Championship and into a division where Leeds have gained plaudits for their boldness. Their style of play has been a constant but their fortunes have fluctuated, along with their goal tally. Bielsa has already identified three phases in a campaign that began with twin 4-3s, later included successive 4-1 defeats and has now featured back-to-back clean sheets.
“We had a favourable start to the season where the goals we conceded didn’t really affect the result as we were scoring plenty and then there was a period where we conceded a lot of goals and weren’t very efficient in attack,” he said. “And the third period where we haven’t conceded goals and we have created opportunities to deserve to win.”
Rather than being cowed by the Premier League, Leeds have attacked it. Recent scorelines have been deceptive. Those shutouts were not secured by concentrating on defence when Leeds drew with Arsenal and beat Everton 1-0. More impressive than a haul of four points against Premier League ever-presents was a total of 48 shots, even if only one – Raphinha's winner on Merseyside – went in.
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Everton v Leeds ratings
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EVERTON RATINGS: Jordan Pickford 7 – The England stopper may have flapped at a few crosses, but in terms of sheer shot stopping, he was superb. Made two point-blank saves from Bamford and Costa which kept Everton in the game. AFP -
Ben Godfrey 7 – One of Everton’s better defenders, leading by example throughout. His commitment to the cause was never in question. AFP -
Michael Keane 7 – Was aerially commanding throughout, managing to keep in-form Bamford quiet for long spells. Will be frustrated not to have closed out the game with a clean sheet. EPA -
Mason Holgate 6 – A mixed display from the academy graduate. Was replaced early in the second half. Getty Images -
Tom Davies 5 – Struggled in the unfamiliar position of wing back. On this evidence, it’s an experiment that doesn’t show too much promise. EPA -
Abdoulaye Doucoure 5 – Missed a handful of guilt-edged opportunities in the first half. Didn’t look comfortable at right-back when moved there in the second half. PA -
Allan 6 – Bossed the midfield in the first half but couldn’t maintain it. Looked slightly off the pace in the second period. AP -
Alex Iwobi 5 – Much like Davies on the opposite flank, the Nigeria international didn’t take well to the defensive demands of playing at wing back. Luke Ayling very much got the better of him on this occasion. EPA -
James Rodriguez 7 – Had a wonderfully taken goal chalked off in the first half for an offside infringement. The former Real Madrid star threatened all game but couldn’t quite muster a moment of magic to turn the tide in Everton’s favour. AFP -
Dominic Calvert-Lewin 6 – Industrious running and clever movement is very much the forwards trademark. Today, however, his end product let him down all too often. Reuters -
Richarlison 7 – Will feel aggrieved to have not got on the scoresheet, after having a number of efforts either saved or ruled out for offside. Nevertheless, Everton are a far better side with him in it – and his luck will surely come in at some point. Getty Images -
SUBS: Fabian Delph 6 – Minimal impact off the bench from the former Aston Villa captain. Reuters -
Andre Gomes 6 – Kept the ball well late on but a series of rash tackles – presumably out of frustration – didn’t help his sides cause. Reuters -
Bernard 5 – Was a peripheral figure in the closing stages, at a time when the home side needed a moment of inspiration. PA -
LEEDS RATINGS: Illan Meslier 8 – Pulled off a number of fine stops, most notably from Doucoure. Looked composed and assured between the sticks for Leeds. Reuters -
Luke Ayling 7 – Led by example, with industrious running up and down the channel. Picked up a yellow card in the second half for an overenthusiastic challenge. Reuters -
Robin Koch 7 – The young German is really beginning to settle into life at Leeds. With accurate distribution and perceptive positioning, tonight was another step in the right direction. AP -
Liam Cooper 7 – The captain may have got off to a slow start, but he played a vital role in helping Leeds see out the win – as well as the clean sheet. EPA -
Stuart Dallas 6 – Was defensively solid up against attack-minded wing backs. His play going forward was rather more muted. AFP -
Kalvin Phillips 8 – Ran the show for Leeds. His passing radar and overall contribution to the win showed Bielsa exactly what he had been missing over the past few weeks. Getty Images -
Jack Harrison 7 – Excellent end product as always, with his pinpoint crosses often squandered by the forwards. Continues to impress from wide positions. Getty Images -
Mateusz Klich 7 – Stared well in the middle, but as the game wore on – and as Everton grew into the game, his impact began to wane. AFP -
Ezgjan Alioski 6 – Didn’t see too much of the ball on the ball on the left for Leeds. With that being said, his work rate and use of the ball was very valuable to his side. Getty Images -
Raphinha 8 – Scored a wonderful long-range goal to seal a tight win for the away side. From the first minute of the game he looked dangerous and eager to make his mark. AFP -
Patrick Bamford 7 – Had a number of good shooting opportunities, but, thanks in part to Jordan Pickford, he was kept quiet. The Englishman therefore misses his chance to score for a record-equalling fifth Premier League away game in a row. EPA -
SUBS: Ian Poveda-Ocampo N/A – Replaced the match-winner Raphinha with minutes to go. Getty Images -
Helder Costa N/A – Should have scored late on to seal the win in style, but in the end he forced an excellent save out of Jordan Pickford. Reuters -
Rodrigo N/A – Came on too late to make an impact. Reuters
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The Brazilian opened his Leeds account to clinch their first victory at Goodison Park since 1990. The signing from Rennes had also excelled against Arsenal and Bielsa said: “The characteristics of the team coincide with his way of playing. He is a dynamic player.”
Leeds are set to take that same dynamism to Stamford Bridge. Chelsea were Europe's biggest spenders in the summer. They have seven wins in eight games, are unbeaten in 15 and have only conceded two in 10. Leeds still retain a contingent of players who finished in the lower half of the Championship before Bielsa's 2018 arrival but they are likely to adopt a more attacking approach than Jose Mourinho did against Chelsea last week.
Known for obsessively watching DVDs of matches, Bielsa has done a different type of scouting to prepare Leeds for the challenge. It has not entailed spying. “There have been 10 games now so all the managers become knowledgeable about all the other teams,” he said. “Every manager in the Premier League can talk fundamentally about all the other 19 teams.”
