Leeds United are eight points clear of the play-off places in the Championship table.
Marcelo Bielsa has admitted that he was glad that he didn’t leave Patrick Bamford on the pitch alongside Eddie Nketiah during Leeds United’s draw against Preston on Boxing Day.
Nketiah came on for Bamford in the second half, with the Arsenal loanee making an impact, as Bielsa was very honest in saying that it was a ‘hard’ decision to take his main man off – instead, it meant that Stuart Dallas and Klich stayed on the pitch, as Bielsa described their work as ‘special’.
Dallas was the player who secured the point for Leeds, but Nketiah himself was denied by Preston’s keeper following his well-guided header
After the game, Bielsa explained why he didn’t leave Bamford and Nketiah on the pitch together, as he was seemingly pleased that he made the choice that he did.
“No, [it was] hard,” Bielsa told Leeds Live. “Wanted to get them both [Bamford and Nketiah] on, but finally I think it was a good choice.
“We were not going to play as we played without Dallas and Klich in the middle. If we could have left both strikers on the pitch, the midfielder would have been Phillips, Klich or Dallas, more Patrick like at Fulham.
“You realise Eddie played better than at Fulham. It’s because we were able to move the ball from our half to theirs. That was special for the work of Dallas and Klich. Sometimes I think I speak more than I should because maybe you expect me to speak less.”
Leeds will now turn their attention to Sunday as they travel to the Midlands to take on Birmingham City.
Given that there is such a short space of time to recover for the weekend game, it will be interesting to see if Nketiah will earn a rare start in the league.
The Whites are eight-points clear of third-placed Brentford, as both Bielsa’s side and current leaders, West Brom, are seemingly running away with the top-two places.
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