Leeds sit second in the Championship after beating Sheffield United.
Ian Holloway has backed Leeds United in their bid for promotion on Quest TV, and reckons manager Marcelo Bielsa is the “real deal” as they remain in second place in the Championship.
Leeds earned an excellent 1-0 win over Sheffield United on Saturday thanks to Pablo Hernandez’s goal, after Dean Henderson’s blunder allowed Jack Clarke to square to the Spaniard.
It saw Leeds go top of the Championship for a couple of hours, as they kicked off at lunchtime on Saturday with Norwich City playing Rotherham at 3pm. The Canaries came from behind to win 3-1, returning to the top of the division.
Former QPR, Millwall and Crystal Palace manager Holloway stated his surprise at Bielsa taking the job at Leeds, but praised the manager’s faith in youth and his squad’s ability at avoiding burn out.
“What’s fantastic is that he’s happy to blood the youngsters, even in a season where they are getting stronger and stronger,” Holloway said. “The only question was, is that squad fit enough to deal with the intensity.
“I think they’re thriving on it. He’s [Bielsa] everything I hoped he would be, and a bit more. He’s the real deal. He has selected Leeds for himself to make them a huge club again, and he might be right.”
Leeds have suffered a number of injuries since Bielsa take over, with Patrick Bamford, Luke Ayling, Gaetano Berardi and more, while Liam Cooper seemed to have suffered an injury against the Blades.
The Whites are next in action on Saturday afternoon, playing host to one of Holloway’s former sides in QPR at Elland Road. Steve McClaren’s side are without a win in three games, but have still managed to score six goals in that time.
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