Learning from their mistakes.
That seems to be the message that Patrick Bamford is stressing in the wake of Leeds’ nail-biting 1-0 victory over West Brom on Tuesday night.
Speaking to LUFC.com after the game, Bamford spoke of the mentality of the Leeds squad and how their ability to withstand a late onslaught by the Baggies showed how far they have come in recent times:
“It’s massive, I think everyone could see how hard we worked for it. Everyone put their all in out there, so it is a well deserved three points. I think it shows we have backbone, we’ve let games slip in the last couple of matches in the last minute, so it was important for us to show that we’ve learnt from it- to bounce back was crucial.”
Whilst he is talking about the players, I think it’s fair to give the manager praise for this as well.
I spoke earlier in the summer about how the biggest change facing Leeds this season were going to come from Marcelo Bielsa and his adjustments after a season in the division, and it looks as if that prediction is coming true. It probably took a bit of a kick up the backside with the Swansea City and Derby County games to really kick it into gear, but better late than never I suppose.
Whilst I didn’t agree with his decision to grind out the result, I’d have much rather he killed the game off with a second goal instead, I must give him credit for the way he saw off the threat. It shows that he has learned from games last year like Nottingham Forest and Stoke City where we either lost games late or capitulated under pressure.
And the fact he’s managed to instill that in the players to finally produce the dividends is enjoyable to see. Now it’s just a case of making sure that we carry that stuff on throughout the season.
What about you? Do you think that Leeds’ display against West Brom showed just how far the club have in recent weeks? Or do you think that there’s still a lot of developing that the players need to do to stamp their authority on the league?