da esport bet： Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, Carlton Palmer discussed the counter-attacking tool Marcelo Bielsa has been using at Leeds United this season.
da dobrowin： When it comes to goals scored on the counter in the Premier League in the current campaign, Leeds rank among the elite, registering an impressive total of six, and Palmer has put that devastation on the break down to recent signing Raphinha.
The £28,000-a-week Brazilian joined from Ligue 1 outfit Rennes last summer and has managed to make an instant impact in attack. He has been directly involved in 10 league goals and currently averages the most successful dribbles per game in Leeds’ squad (1.7, per WhoScored), and it is that ability to carry the ball that is aiding Bielsa’s side on the counter, according to Palmer.
The former England international told FFC:
“The one thing that happens, and especially when you’re playing away from home, you know, if you’re going to play the way Leeds play, which is on the counter, counter-attacking football, the one thing that breaks the team down is somebody who can dribble with a ball at pace. It really does because a team can set up against you, make it very difficult for you to pass through them, be very solid, very organised.
“But if you set up that way and you’ve got somebody then who can just dribble past two players, that just breaks that defensive system down. There’s no answer to that and he [Raphinha] gives Leeds United that.”
Leeds have also shown that they are a team capable of taking the game to their opponents, rather than just solely relying on counter-attacks and transitions.
Despite only recently being promoted to the Premier League, the Whites rank in the top five for ball possession, recording an average of 57.2%.
Undoubtedly, thanks to additions such as Raphinha and the brilliance of Bielsa, Leeds have been able to make a seamless transition from the Championship to English football’s top flight.