Marcelo Bielsa refused to lay the blame at Kika Casilla’s door after his mix-up with Liam Cooper gifted Derby County an equaliser at Elland Road last night.
Jack Marriott was allowed to level the score, making it 1-1, after a miscommunication between the Leeds United's pair gifted the striker with an empty net.
The goal proved to be the catalyst for the Rams, who eventually ran out 4-2 winners on the night, progressing 4-3 on aggregate. Frank Lampard’s side will now take on Aston Villa for a place in the Premier League.
It’s not the first high-profile error the former Real Madrid man has been at the centre of in recent weeks, after another mistake, against Ipswich Town, gifted them a 3-2 win on the final day of the campaign.
The Spaniard’s ‘sweeper-keeper’ style is rife in the modern game, but it, without doubt, comes with its risks, which were illustrated last night.
However, Bielsa refused to criticise Casilla, or Cooper, for their part in the goal and instead looked to shoulder the blame himself.
Speaking to the press after the defeat to Derby, he said: “I don’t think so. You can’t imagine playing a football game without any mistake.
“You make questions that invite me to think, to make a reflection. You could say 'well, the goal happened for these reasons'. We had a 20-minute loss of control, we had a player sent off.
Frank Lampard makes admission over his post-match behaviour towards Marcelo Bielsa
“That’s why I said we have to take the game as a whole, we can’t just analyse specific moments because until minute 40 of the first half we had five chances, and the opponent didn't have one single chance. And you’re asking if this mistake was the beginning of what happened after.
“I can’t think like that because a team that doesn’t assimilate a mistake is not a good team.”
Much of the post-match chatter has surrounded the future of Leeds’ Argentine chief, who avoided to comment on his future after the match.
Leeds have the option to extend Bielsa’s deal for another campaign, which you’d imagine they will want to take, as they look to go one step better next season.
