Leeds United
Bielsa’s planned wake-up call for Peacock-Farrell has already done the trick
Marcelo Bielsa revealed that he was all set to drop his first-choice goalkeeper before the injury to Jamal Blackman and the Northern Irishman’s penalty save against Reading shows that his wake-up call is already having the desired impact.
When Marcelo Bielsa took the unnecessary step of revealing that Bailey Peacock-Farrell would have been dropped for Jamal Blackman before the on-loan Chelsea goalkeeper suffered a broken leg, it raised a few eyebrows.
It was clearly meant to send a message to the Northern Irishman that he needed to improve his form and that the goalkeeping crisis that took hold at Elland Road did not change that.
Will Huffer ably deputised in the 2-0 weekend win over Bristol City and there was every chance that the 20-year-old would keep his place for the visit of Reading last night, given Bielsa’s previous concerns over the form of his number one.
But he recalled Peacock-Farrell, giving the Northern Irishman the opportunity to respond to his wake-up call and he did exactly that.
(Photo by Rich Linley – CameraSport via Getty Images)
After Stuart Dallas put the Whites 1-0 up, their hopes of clinching a win were hanging in the balance when Marc McNulty stepped up from the penalty spot with just minutes remaining.
But Peacock-Farrell plunged low to his right to make a vital penalty save that Bielsa hopes will boost the goalkeeper’s confidence.
The victory saw Leeds cut Norwich’s lead at the top of the Championship to just one point. Bielsa’s wake-up call to his number one has had a huge and instant impact.
