Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds have got off to a blistering start to the new season and have found themselves pegged as favourites to win the Championship. As their Argentine coach is quick to point out, it’s far too early to make any calls but the signs are good. The team have developed a high intensity, attractive style of play that is taking the English second tier by storm.

Juego De Posición

Leeds have already established themselves as possibly the only team in the English Championship that implement principles of positional play. They play out from the back with confidence and circulate the ball quickly — all while moving fluidly within a well thought out structure.

Fluid Positional Structure

United lineup in a nominal 4-1-4-1 or 4-3-3. The defensive midfielder drops to form a triangle with the centre-backs in the buildup phase while the full-backs push up in support of the wingers who have the freedom to cut inside. The attacking midfielders play relatively free roles and the centre-forward acts as a focal point. This basic structure is the scaffolding for a highly fluid and dynamic team.

A good example of how Leeds’ positional play can manifest itself is their game against Bolton in the League Cup.

This was an interesting match tactically from Bielsa who chose to put striker Tyler Roberts on the right wing. Obviously, Roberts’ natural tendency is to drift centrally towards the box so it was important that the right-back had the attacking intent to push up and establish width. This is exactly what Jamie Shackleton, who has played as a lively central midfielder, was able to provide. Conversely, the left-back Tom Pearce was more conservative. This was balanced by having a more traditional left winger in Jack Harrison — a Man City loanee who likes to stay wide and take on the opposition full-back.

This is a typically well thought out lineup from a manager who understands that in order for a team to have a functioning positional structure in possession, nearby players must compliment each other. These themes were also present in defence where Kalvin Phillips, who has played central defensive roles in preseason, was able to drop back and cover for two attack minded centre-backs.

All of these ideas that were simply names on paper to start with, were played out sublimely on the pitch. Tyler Roberts drifted inside as expected while Shackleton made gallivanting runs up the right wing to make sure maximum width was retained. Pontus Jansson pushed forward and used his excellent passing range to link up with the forwards while Kalvin Phillips’ tactical nous allowed him to cover when necessary. The technically brilliant Samuel Saiz pushed forward to supplement the attack and Patrick Bamford dropped to drag defenders with him. The synergies between players gave way to a beautifully fluid performance of the likes of which have come to define Marcelo Bielsa’s career.

Buildup and Generating Superiorities

The Argentine’s obsessive preparation means his teams always have a number of ways of generating superiority. In the case of Leeds, almost all moves start with the buildup triangle that consists of the two centre-backs and the holding midfielder.

The positioning and awareness of the defensive midfielder is key in this phase as he must respond to the movements of the centre-backs and make the optimal decision in each situation. There are a number of positions they can take up during the buildup. For example, they might drop between the central defenders to help facilitate ball circulation or stay further forward and offer a line breaking pass. If a centre-back pushes forward he might choose to drop and cover or hold his position to offer a horizontal passing option. Another factor is that players in the opposition attacking line may be tasked with man marking him — allowing him to manipulate their movements and open up space for the centre-backs to step up.

The end goal of the buildup is to get a free man who can then step up into midfield — allowing for a clean and united progression up the pitch and of course superiority that can act as a base for the attack. Having a buildup triangle means Leeds will almost always have an extra man in the first phase of play.

Once the free man is found (whether it be a centre-back, the holding midfielder or someone else) there are a number of options going forward. One of the most common patterns of play that Leeds have used this season involves long ranges passes from the centre-backs before quick lay offs to the third man. Because long passes take some time to reach their destination, the opposition have more time to gather around the receiving player. This increased pressure can be bad news for the team in possession but it can also open up space for nearby players. Hence the third man layoff can generate superiority. A fantastic example of this pattern can be found in Leeds’ opening goal against Stoke.

Leeds start the move on one side of the pitch, drawing in the opposition, before releasing the ball to the far side centre-back. Once he receives the ball in space he picks out a superb long range pass that draws substantial pressure around the receiving player. A one touch layoff pass breaks this pressure immediately and finds the third man in space. Three passes later the ball is in the back of the net. This is vertical positional play at it’s best, perfectly exemplifying the idea of “ascending superiorities”.

Another potential pattern of play involves playing the ball straight out to the winger, who can isolate a 1v1 with the full-back. Due to the quality of wide players like Ezgjan Alioski and Jack Harrison, they will often get free and subsequently be able to put in a cross. This is an example of qualitative superiority. Inverted movements from the wingers and full-backs can also create overloads in the centre and half spaces. Or a direct pass into the space between the opposition’s midfield and defensive lines can open up space for the likes of Samuel Saiz and Mateusz Klich — all though this is more difficult in a league that tends to focus on man marking.

Despite using many of the basic principles of positional play, Leeds are also happy to play it long when it seems to be the best option. Aerially capable centre-forwards like Kemar Roofe facilitate this more direct aspect of their play.

Defensive Phase and Transitions

Perhaps one of the more unusual aspects of Leeds United and Marcelo Bielsa as a manager is the use of man marking, or at least heavily man oriented defending. Most teams utilising positional play tend to use more diverse zonal systems, perhaps due to the desire to retain their positional structure. Pep Guardiola is an advocate of this, with his teams often regaining possession quickly with their structure in tact. This means that Leeds have to do more work in the transitions as their structure effectively dissolves in the defensive phase. Bielsa clearly believes that man marking is the best way to suffocate the opposition and is willing to sacrifice structural retention.

Despite using what many would consider a reactive defensive system, Leeds are incredibly proactive with their pressing. As well as closely tracking almost every opposition player on the pitch, the ball possessor is also pressed aggressively, with United not afraid to double up on the man on the ball if they sense weakness. This press is incredibly hard to pass through, and Leeds have won the ball high up the pitch time and again. Adding to the attacking team’s problems, both of the centre-backs that started against Stoke and Derby are very strong in the air. Therefore trying to bypass the press with long balls is unlikely to be an effective strategy.

This defensive work acts as a base for what has been one of Leeds’ most potent attacking weapons; the counter. This aspect of their game was on display against Derby where Samuel Saiz was the driving force in their transition play. He is technically exceptional and what would be called a “needle player” in Germany (meaning he can navigate tight spaces). But strangely, his close control also makes him excellent at driving into wide open spaces — perhaps because he never takes a heavy touch, the opposition can’t get a foot in. This makes him brilliant on the counter, where he was able to expose large gaps in the Derby defence. Leeds have also shown they are capable of counterpressing immediately after losing the ball — once again opening the door for quick transitions.

Conclusion

It must be noted that any tactical analysis this early in the season has to be taken with a grain of salt. Not only has their been limited play to actually analyse, but the team also hasn’t had time to fully adjust to the new manager so it’s hard to tell what’s been added by Bielsa and what’s residual from last season. The overwhelming success that the opening three games have been also means that it’s hard to analyse flaws.

As for how the season will turn out? Marcelo Bielsa teams have a tendency to collapse towards the end of the season, maybe due to the physical demands, so any optimism cannot be without caution. But with that said, whatever happens, it’s going to be some ride and Leeds fans should enjoy every second of it.