Journalist shares moment that triggered huge 'boardroom' decision at Leeds

Football writer Beren Cross has named the ‘alarming’ performance that would have had the Leeds United board worried about Marcelo Bielsa. 

Indeed, the journalist highlighted the 3-0 away loss against Everton a fortnight ago as perhaps a sliding doors moment in regard to the Argentine’s doomed future.

In that game, Leeds failed to have a single shot in the second half despite trailing from the 10th minute of the game and were described as ‘woeful with and without the ball’ by Sky Sports.

While speaking on a Leeds United Live Facebook stream, Cross referred to the display as ‘anaemic’ and it would have ‘sharpened focus in the boardroom’.

He said: “There’s the anaemic element of the performance at Everton. I mean, that really was perhaps… it’s far from the first defeat of the season, but the manner of it and the timing of it must have at least sharpened focus in the boardroom. 

“And they must have thought, ‘OK, that’s quite alarming, really, there was next to nothing to show from that performance.”

TIF Thoughts on Marcelo Bielsa and Leeds…

Considering fans awarded Rodrigo with the club’s highest score on the BBC with a 6.05/10 match rating – while Tyler Roberts was lowest with a measly 3.46 – it’s easy to understand why Cross feels this game was such a clear indicator of worrying form.

It didn’t get any better from there, either, with Leeds going on to lose their next three games, conceding 14 goals and scoring just twice, before Bielsa was sacked.

However, those losses came against Manchester United, Liverpool, and Tottenham Hotspur – all teams pushing for Champions League football at the very least.

What was perhaps most damning about the Everton loss is the fact that Frank Lampard’s men are direct rivals when it comes to