EFL Championship 2018/19: Leeds vs Derby

Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds United met Frank Lampard’s Derby County for the second time this season. Both teams share similarities with the brand of football they endorse and the amalgam of youth with experience. It wasnt a surprise to spot Aidy Boothroyd, England U21 head coach seated alongside Gareth Southgate in attendance. Along with the tactical analysis, I attempt to shed light on the psychological and emotional aspects of this game.

A comprehension of this tactical analysis would be incomplete without taking into perspective the circumstances leading up to this fixture. A couple of hours before the fixture, news of a spy caught at Derby’s training the previous day flooded the internet. This spying incident has clearly tarnished Bielsa’s image of an obsessive ‘football Miyagi’ with darker shades.

Tactics: Bielsa’s gamble pays, Lampard’s fails

Leeds usually feature a 4-1-4-1 with a midfield quartet of Jack Harrison, Mateusz Klich, Pablo Hernandez and Ezgjan Aliosksi. The 18-year-old Jack Clarke replaces Harrison at half-time, with Bielsa claiming both to have varied but necessary attributes. Clarke’s recent impressive performances earned him a spot on the starting 11 for this game. Yet, to retain the quartet playing the intro to Bielsa’s symphony, Bielsa started Alioski as a left-back.

It isn’t unusual for Bielsa to play midfielders in the defensive back line. Javi Martinez at Athletic Bilbao and Arturo Vidal with Chile, and Leeds’ very own Kalvin Phillips are apt examples. Alioski started his career playing left back for BSC Young Boys, so it wasn’t much of a defensive compromise either. But, in return for this gamble, Bielsa could rely on Alioksi’s attacking prowess in offensive build up.

Derby, like Leeds, prefer to build up from the back and create offensive chances. After conceding early on, Lampard replaced his right-back Andre Wisdom with a forward David Nugent. Derby switched to a high-pressing 4-4-2 with midfielder Dwayne Holmes moving to right back to make way for Nugent. As Derby lacked a conventional defender against an attacking duo of Alioksi and Harrison, Leeds immediately capitalised, scoring their second.