Critics of Rodrigo and Mateusz Klich’s central partnership at Leeds United need only look at the second half of Sunday’s Manchester United loss for an explanation.
Marcelo Bielsa was asked about the defensive fragility of that pairing in the middle for the Whites. They were both substituted at half-time in Liverpool in Wednesday.
The head coach pointed to the success they had together last Sunday and the general perception of them after that loss compared with the way people then felt just three days later on Merseyside.
“Evidently, the midfield of Klich and Rodrigo is very offensive, but if you pay attention, the midfield in the second half against Man United was [Adam] Forshaw, Klich and Rodrigo and those 45 minutes were some of the best football we've played lately,” he said.
He then asked the journalist: “Do you coincide with what I've just said?”
Yes was the answer and Bielsa launched into a lengthy answer on why perceptions of football matters change so flippantly result by result.
“It's not important I say it, or that you coincide,” he said. “The public opinion that is generated, is that these 45 minutes (against Man Utd) have generated that, it's added you were in agreement and I was in agreement.
“To answer what you say, you say to me there are people who think Klich and Rodrigo are defensively unbalanced when they play.
“In the same way, a lot of people would say the best 45 minutes we've played lately is those 45 minutes against Man United with those two in the midfield, so there are two realities.
“The 45 minutes against Manchester United and two (sic) days apart, the first 45 minutes against Liverpool, so which is the truth?
“Or what do we have to do, do we have to deform what works before it stops working? The thing is, in this dialogue, when I stop answering, the arguments continue.
“What was I to do, break down or break up the best thing we did against Man United? We never recovered the ball better than in the second half versus Man United.
“The midfield of Forshaw, Klich and Rodrigo was of extreme aggression. Two days after, that reality stops being what we've just described, so you say there's a lot of people who have this opinion.
“Those same people are not having an opinion after Man United, they have an opinion after Liverpool, so if the opinion was after Manchester United, the opinion would be wrong, but having an opinion after Liverpool, their opinion would be the correct one?”
If Diego Llorente returns to the United line-up on Saturday, it is expected Stuart Dallas may be freed to play in central midfield against Tottenham Hotspur.
It remains to be seen if Bielsa partners Klich and Rodrigo in that match too.
