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da betsul： This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
For large parts of the game on Wednesday evening, Leeds struggled against Brentford.
Faced with the wall of Pontus Jansson, returning to Elland Road for the first time since his summer departure, he threatened to be a major distraction.
And indeed he and the rest of the Brentford defence were resilient until the 81st minute of the match.
Leeds managed just eight key passes during the game, one of which came during that very moment as Helder Costa beat his man for pace and then found Eddie Nketiah.
However, it was a key tactical tweak after the Portuguese came on that helped inspire the Whites.
On the chalkboard
The favoured formation under Marcelo Bielsa at Leeds has been a 4-1-4-1. It’s usually a standard back four but has a more attacking look to it, playing in essence with two number 10’s.
Alongside them are attacking wingers and a solitary striker. This term it’s been Patrick Bamford who has scored three in four matches but he struggled on Wednesday, registering only two shots.
That was largely down to the lack of creativity, something that wasn’t helped until a change in formation.
Costa had initially been brought on for Jack Harrison but after Gaetano Berardi and Nketiah’s introductions, things changed.
The Swiss centre-back coming on allowed Leeds to go with three defenders, as Costa and Ezgjan Alioski became wing-backs.
That position was an unfamiliar role for the former but he impressed, making two tackles and playing the assist for the goal.
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It was a dynamic change from the Whites but proved Bielsa’s invaluable worth to Leeds.
Not often known for tweaking things, his degree of familiarity has even seen him disclose an entire team in one press conference.
But this was different and showed the unpredictability of Bielsa. It proved the Argentine’s tactical nous as he moved Bamford to the right, played Nketiah in the middle and had Mateusz Klich roaming from the left-hand side.
It was a different approach but by opening the play up with wing-backs, rather than packing the middle, it seemed to work a treat.
In games where Leeds are struggling, this could well be the way forward.
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