Leeds United have sacked Marcelo Bielsa from his role as head coach.
The Argentinian boss had been in charge for 2018 and his almost four years at Elland Road represents his longest spell in charge of a single side at club level.
He guided the Whites up from the Championship in 2019-20, finishing top of the Championship by 10 points after having lost out in the play-off semi-finals the previous season. Bielsa then oversaw Leeds finishing ninth in the Premier League last term, their first campaign back in the top flight after a 16-year absence.
However, they have struggled to match their own exploits during this second season among the elite, posting the league’s worst defensive record so far after conceding 60 goals in 26 games – including 20 in the last five.
Leeds United chairman Andrea Radrizzani admitted dismissing Bielsa was “the toughest decision”.
Radrizzani added: “With Marcelo as our head coach, we had three incredible campaigns and the good times returned to Elland Road. He changed the culture of the club and brought a winning mentality to us all. The moments created, particularly in the 2019-20 season and winning promotion to the Premier League, will of course live long in all our memories, myself and the fans included.
“However, I have to act in the best interest of the club and I believe a change is required now in order to secure our Premier League status. Recent results and performances have not met our expectations.
“We find ourselves in a precarious league position and I feel now is the right time to bring in a new head coach, in order to have an impact in the decisive stage of the season.
“Naturally, myself, along with everyone else at the club would like to thank Marcelo for his efforts and achievements and we wish him the very best for the future.”
Bielsa was already coming under pressure before the last week, during which time they lost 4-2 at home to Manchester United, before suffering a midweek six-goal hammering against Liverpool. His final game in charge was the 4-0 home loss to Tottenham on Saturday, which left Leeds 16th in the table, just two points above the relegation zone.
Both Everton and Burnley, directly below Leeds in the table, have two games in hand over the Elland Road club.
Speaking after the defeat to Spurs, Bielsa said that a change to being more defensive-minded is always heralded as the answer by those on the outside of the club.
“To be a team more difficult to beat means fundamentally to put players in different areas of the pitch which are more defensive to increase the defensive efficiency. That’s what we tried to do in the first half but it didn’t give the results I was looking for,” he said after full-time.
“The different ways we tried to face the game – more conservative in the first half and more attack-minded in the second – expressed in the characteristics of the players in each half, neither one nor the other approach gave the result. So what you mean [by being more difficult to beat] is to play more in our own half and that’s a resource which I haven’t used. Everything we haven’t done is always imagined as the solution.”
Leeds have struggled with injuries in the squad for much of the season, with England duo Patrick Bamford and Kalvin Phillips still sidelined. The striker has started only five league games this campaign, scoring twice, with the midfielder playing 12.
Former RB Leipzig boss Jesse Marsch has been widely reported as the club’s preference to take over as the new head coach.
The club’s next game is on 5 March, away to Leicester.
