Marcelo Bielsa makes Gjanni Alioski claim after Leeds defeat

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Marcelo Bielsa has suggested – in comments reported by Leeds Live – that he takes responsibility for the moments in which Gjanni Alioski is left with a tough task defensively following Leeds United’s defeat this weekend.

The Whites suffered a disappointing loss on Saturday. Goals from Harry Kane, Son Heung-min and Toby Alderweireld saw Tottenham win 3-0 in North London.

Leeds made a very bright start. However, their momentum was halted when the referee gave a penalty against Alioski shortly before the half-hour mark.

While there is likely to be plenty of debate surrounding whether the foul on Steven Bergwijn took place inside or outside the box, there is no question that Alioski did make an error.

It was a tough afternoon for the North Macedonia international. But when asked whether the 28-year-old is good enough to deal with the league’s best attacking players, Bielsa seemed to absolve the player of blame.

“The situations that Alioski may have suffered are not linked to the resources that he has,” he said, as reported by Leeds Live. “He has all the necessary resources to neutralise the capabilities of the opponents. So the situations that he faces are a very big disadvantage, like for any player it would be difficult for him to resolve.”

“And for that I feel responsible because there are situations in the game when we make it difficult for him to defend, due to our organisation.”

TBR View: Alioski now has point to prove

Alioski has enjoyed an impressive start to life in the Premier League. He initially had to bide his time as he waited for a proper chance. But he has produced some outstanding displays.

It will be interesting to see what Bielsa’s plans are for Alioski once some of his teammates return from injury.

Leeds are currently without Liam Cooper, Diego Llorente and Robin Koch. Once they start to come back, Bielsa may consider whether Luke Ayling should return to right-back.

In that case, it is difficult to see Stuart Dallas not moving back across to the left. And Alioski may find himself having to bide his time once again.