Leeds forward Tyler Roberts has claimed Marcelo Bielsa ‘opened his eyes’ when switching him to a central striker role.
Roberts initially moved to Elland Road from West Brom for £2.5m in January as a winger but, upon seeing his form for Wales, Bielsa decided to switch the 19-year-old to a striker role.
Bielsa is renowned for the effect he can have on individual players, as well as the structure and work ethic of a team, and Roberts has opened up on how the Argentine taught him about the runs and movements a No.9 should make.
He told Sky Sports: “I started as a winger with him (Bielsa), but he’s seen me come away with Wales and play the number nine role.
“He’s taught me a lot about runs in behind, staying up the pitch and making important movements. He’s opened my eyes to another part of my game that maybe I didn’t see as well before.
“He’s got so much respect in the game and everyone at Leeds has bought into that culture.”
Bielsa, 63, has also been known for his ruthless nature in the past, with stories emerging about his short temper at nearly every club he has been at.
However, Roberts, who is in Ryan Giggs’ Wales squad to face Denmark and Albania over the next week, says that he has only seen the calmer side of Bielsa – even when Leeds lost 4-1 to West Brom on Saturday.
He added: “I haven’t seen him blow up. He was OK after Saturday.
“He always shakes everyone’s hand when we come in from the pitch.
“It’s always the same, win or lose. He was obviously not happy about Saturday, but that’s the same in every team after a result like that.”
Despite the loss to West Brom, Leeds are currently third in the Championship, just three points behind leaders Norwich City, with Roberts scoring three goals in 10 appearances in all competitions so far.
The post Tyler Roberts: Bielsa opened my eyes appeared first on Squawka News.
From Squawka NewsSquawka News https://ift.tt/2zOJ7QE
No comments:
Post a Comment