This article is part of Football FanCast’s Off the Bench series, which places in-game managerial decisions and squad selections under FFC’s microscope.
Leeds were sailing towards an eighth consecutive win on Saturday before two disastrous substitutions by Marcelo Bielsa led the team to collapse and concede two more goals against Cardiff.
Off the bench
The Argentine doesn’t often make costly mistakes but there is no doubt that the Whites’ performance dropped off when Patrick Bamford and Gaetano Berardi departed the pitch.
Bielsa was keen to hand minutes to young defender Pascal Struijk once again, but the 20-year-old’s lapse defending allowed the visitors through on goal to equalise, and that wasn’t the only defensive issue.
Bamford provides such hard work for the team and often defends from the front, offering the team an added protection which is missing when Eddie Nketiah is playing.
Supporters discussed the poor decision-making by their manager in their own post-match analysis, with a repeated suggestion being made that Leeds would have more than likely retained their 3-1 lead had the two key men stayed on.
Composed and experienced
Bamford struck twice in the match to take the Whites’ lead to 3-0 at one point, while Berardi has also shown improvement this season in his recent run of games – winning five out of five prior to the visit of the Bluebirds.
It is some turn around for both players, as the pair were each subjected to criticism for their performances last season, and this term, too.
Fans frequently blasted Bamford for his poor finishing and questioned why he was starting ahead of Nketiah, while the Swiss defender has often been guilty of a lack of discipline and been criticised for that as a result.
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However, it was discipline which was needed on Saturday, and it was what Berardi was providing in the heart of the defence.
A two-goal lead always looked a little precarious following Kiko Casilla’s error which led to Cardiff’s first goal, and therefore the right move would have been to keep the most experienced players on the pitch, particularly in defence.
Bringing on a youngster for only his second professional appearance was a disastrous move, one which certainly backfired, and one which Bielsa must learn from by not repeating in the future.
Had the pair stayed on Leeds would have, in all likelihood, been more likely to win the game and extend the gap over the third-placed team, so it was a certainly a missed opportunity by the Yorkshire side.
Some fans also feel the absence of captain Liam Cooper was sorely missed in the Cardiff draw, and feel his presence could have made a significant difference.
