Gaetano Berardi was sent off for the eighth time in his Leeds United career as his team suffered a 2-1 defeat at Millwall on Saturday.
Marcelo Bielsa has lauded the ‘loyal’ Gaetano Berardi who gives ‘everything’ on the pitch after Leeds United suffered a 2-1 defeat at Millwall on Saturday.
Given the recent injury to senior man, Liam Cooper, Berardi started at centre-back alongside Ben White, but he was sent off 14 minutes into the game for an alleged foul on Tom Bradshaw in the penalty area.
It was a decision that didn’t sit well with those associated with Leeds, as Berardi was given his marching orders once again following that controversial decision.
After the game, Bielsa appeared to defend his player and his disciplinary record during his time with the Yorkshire club.
“We should analyse if those red cards were fair [on Berardi’s eight sending-offs],” Bielsa told Leeds Live. “You have to analyse if he’s a violent player or if he’s an accelerated player.
“Berardi is a loyal player and he gives everything on the pitch. When you give everything on the pitch, the players can arrive late, but you have to analyse every red card. Maybe the red card today is different to another.”
Replays suggest that Leeds were lucky to go down to 10 men, and with it, give away a penalty which shouldn’t have been given.
In the end, it proved to be costly because the whole balance of the team was lost and Leeds dropped valuable points on the road.
Leeds’ decision not to go in for another centre-back in the summer might prove to haunt them later down the line.
But if things do get worse in that area, for whatever reason, they still have the up and coming January transfer window to sort things out.
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