Pundit Watch

Ian Wright points out underhand Marcelo Bielsa tactic that gained Leeds an advantage v Arsenal

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Arsenal legend Ian Wright has commented on the incident from Sunday’s clash between Leeds United and the Gunners involving Gjanni Alioski and Nicolas Pepe.

Leeds welcomed Arsenal to Elland Road for the first Premier League clash between the sides since the Gunners completed their Invincible season while the Whites were relegated from the top flight.

Cup ties have been the only chance for Leeds to play against the North London giants, with January’s FA Cup clash the final installment before Leeds clinched promotion back to the top flight.

Mikel Arteta’s side came away from Elland Road on Sunday evening taking a point by the skin of their teeth in a 0-0 draw.

The match wasn’t your typical stalemate, however, with the hosts dominating the game from start to finish, and the performance only missing a goal from being the complete showing.

Leeds’ job was helped by the rash decision from Nicolas Pepe to headbutt Gjanni Alioski early in the second half after the Leeds full-back clearly did something to get under the Ivorian’s skin.

Alioski clearly made a meal of the contact, going to the floor in heap after the players came to blows, but this does not excuse Pepe who clearly committed a red card offense that left Anthony Taylor with no choice.

Former Arsenal striker Ian Wright believes that Alioski’s antics to upset the Arsenal winger will have been a pre-discussed plan between him and Marcelo Bielsa. 

Speaking on Wrighty’s House Podcast, he stated: “The guy obviously knows everything about him because you can tell. Bielsa will have given Alioski everything single thing about that guy, and then probably you throw into the mix his state of mind right now.

“Then that happens, Alioski does exactly what he does and then Pepe plays poorly, he gets sent off. Mikel probably gave him a rocket at half-time and then he comes then he comes out and he does that.”

It’s very unlikely Bielsa had catered his tactics that much to Nicolas Pepe that he can orchestrate the winger being riled up by Alioski to the point of headbutting him.

However, looking at Alioski, it’s hard to think he wasn’t intentionally being a pest just to get the better of Pepe, to the point where he snapped.

Alioski’s antics in the dressing room and behind the scenes is enough to get on the nerves of his teammates, so it’s no surprise that he’s managed to stir up this sort of reaction from an opponent.

It’s obvious though that Wright is trying to play this off as gamesmanship from the Leeds camp, while the blame needs to be placed squarely on a player who has just headbutted someone in the middle of the pitch. How Alioski can receive criticism for going down is beyond me, when it’s something that every player does.

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Leeds United season ticket holder since 2013/14, currently situated in the middle of the FA5 noise. From Pablo Hernandez to 5-1 drubbings, I've seen it all at Elland Road.