It’s happened again.
Leeds United lost to Wigan at Elland Road for the second time in 12 months on Saturday, and once again they absolutely dominated the game, boasting 77% possession and 18 shots.
Last April, United lost to a 10-man Wigan side, but the stats indicate that they should have won comfortably. During that clash, they managed 36 shots.
On Saturday, the Whites squandered a number of great chances once again as Patrick Bamford and Jack Harrison missed a couple of golden opportunities throughout the game.
Finishing has been a problem for Leeds ever since Bielsa’s arrival, as they had the lowest conversion rate in the division last term, and despite dissecting the team on a weekly basis, Phil Hay couldn’t explain why this has been an issue.
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What’s been said then?
The journalist was hosting a post-match Q&A session on The Athletic after the Yorkshire club’s 1-0 loss to Wigan.
Understandably, he was asked about the finishing problem that has plagued the Whites over the past 18 months.
“You start to feel like he won’t ever fix it. This had been going on for 18 months. I find it so difficult to explain. How does Harrison miss that chance in the first half, from a few yards out?” Hay wrote.
“Some of the opportunities are on a plate. Without doubt there are times when Leeds try to be far too intricate but the fact that they miss so many good chances is the basic problem. It’s baffling.”
Not Bielsa’s fault
Hay says that he’s starting to feel like Bielsa won’t ever fix this problem, but how does he?
There is seemingly nothing Bielsa can do about his player’s inability to put the ball in the net. His system carves out these chances with the intricate movement and build-up play he instils in his side, but he can’t finish the chances for them.
Take Harrison’s first-half opportunity for example, the winger moved into a good position, he got the ball around the goalkeeper, and he just couldn’t get the decisive touch on the ball as it ran away from him.
Bielsa isn’t to blame for that, nor is he to blame for the other chances that were missed.
The Argentine has done his job, Leeds’ style of play sees them boss most games, as shown by their utter dominance of the xG table, but the ability to put the ball in the net is out of the manager’s control.
In other news, Leeds may actually be weaker now than they were before January.
