Marcelo Bielsa in test of faith with Leeds entering unknown territory

Marcelo Bielsa would have made an awful politician. One of his more refreshingly idiosyncratic traits is his habit of never pointing the finger of blame at somebody else when he can point it at himself. There are times when this appetite for self-criticism takes on an almost monastic hue: a live Zoom flagellation, a reminder that no external judgment on Bielsa could ever be as scathing or searching as his own.

Injuries, individual errors, referees, fixture pile-ups, financial disparities: in the world of Bielsa none of this really seems to register. “The position of [Mateusz] Klich was an error on my part,” he said after last Saturday’s 3-0 crushing at Everton, after an appalling performance by the Pole in midfield.

On Friday, he was asked about the misfiring Tyler Roberts, who has attracted some criticism from Leeds fans. “It is necessary that I take on more responsibility,” Bielsa said sagely.

In a sense Bielsa’s self-incrimination is a kind of protective shield around his players and staff, a reassurance that ultimately the buck stops with him. It is also a recognition no other Premier League manager enjoys his level of unquestioned authority. And yet it is a stance that often obscures as much as it reveals. After all, when you are 15th in the table before this weekend’s matches after conceding more goals per 90 minutes, excluding penalties, than any other team and have no recognised senior striker, the problems clearly go beyond one maverick coach.

Leeds face Manchester United on Sunday in an unusually precarious position. They have a six-point cushion on 18th place but tough fixtures – Liverpool, Tottenham, Leicester and Aston Villa – to follow. Beneath them, Everton and Newcastle are buoyant under new management.