Height was in short supply for Leeds United against Stoke City and Marcelo Bielsa knew it before a ball was even kicked.
Not one of the four defenders, or five if you include Alfie McCalmont as the defensive midfielder, were taller than 6ft.
Throughout the Whites line-up there was little in the way of real aerial presence, although Gaetano Berardi and Kalvin Phillips have proven themselves to be strong headers in the past.
This was in stark contrast to the likes of Sam Vokes, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Danny Batth and Bruno Martins-Indi in the visitors’ line-up.
“I was thinking about this before the game. And at the same time this fact had an impact on the game,” said Bielsa when asked whether the height was a concern.
The opening goal of the Carabao Cup game, inevitably, came from a Stoke corner. Batth headed in as he arrived onto the ball from behind the battering rams of Vokes and Martins-Indi.
This was not the only example of the impact of the lack of height.
“Not only in this situation, but also in general because every set-piece they had in the first half created a problem for us,” said Bielsa.
Bielsa felt it was a problem the team could have overcome during the game. Ben White’s second-half introduction almost single-handedly solved the issue.
“The aerial game depends on the quality of the skills that the players who head the ball have from one team and the other team,” the head coach explained.
“Berardi is a very good player, but when you have a high difference, for example when a striker is complicated, to equal this challenge.”
Reading between the lines, the interpretation must be Bielsa felt his players could complicate and disrupt the supply of high balls into their penalty box.
