£15m Leeds star is starting to look like the modern-day Berardi

There has been plenty of talk online about Leeds United‘s defensive structure under Daniel Farke after the 6-3 defeat to Chelsea in the League Cup in midweek.

It is only natural that debates emerge after such a dismal performance and result in a knockout match, but it should not be forgotten how the defence has performed over the past two years.

REUTERS/Jason Cairnduff

Leeds only conceded 56 goals in the Premier League last season, on their way to finishing 14th, and only conceded 30 goals in 46 matches in the Championship in the 2024/25 campaign.

In fact, the team’s defensive statistics are very comparable to the ones that Marcelo Bielsa’s beloved sides put up during the Argentine coach’s time at Elland Road.

How the Leeds defence has evolved since Marcelo Bielsa’s time

Bielsa’s team conceded 35 goals in their title-winning season in the second tier and 54 goals in their first season in the Premier League, which shows that there is not a great deal of difference between that side and the current squad from a defensive perspective.

The way that Farke has built his current defence is significantly different to the way that Bielsa built his, though, as the German has engineered a 3-4-2-1 or 3-5-2 formation to essentially play with a back five out of possession.

Whereas, Bielsa relied on a 4-1-4-1 formation that worked because of the relentless high-pressing and aggressive nature of his side, typified in his early time at the club by Gaetano Berardi.

The Swiss defender was phased out of the side in the top-flight, as he became a liability through his aggressive play. He was sent off eight times in 157 appearances for the club, playing at right-back and centre-back.

Leeds need more of a balance in their current team, though, because the back five means that defenders need to stick to their positions and be mindful of when they press, rather than being constantly aggressive in their positioning.

As shown in the defeat to Chelsea, big gaps can appear when defenders rush out of position in an attempt to make a big block or challenge, as Berardi often did, because of the formation.

Leeds need to drop their new Gaetano Berardi

With this in mind, there is a player in the current squad who should be dropped from the starting line-up after the loss to Chelsea because of his Berardi-esque performance.

REUTERS/Peter Cziborra

Jaka Bijol has been a solid enough performer since his £15m move from Udinese in the summer of 2025, but he can sometimes be caught out due to his lack of mobility.

The Slovenia international is a strong and aggressive defender, like Berardi, who can win his individual duels when he is close enough to an attack to compete in battles, winning 60% of his duels in the Premier League this season.

However, Bijol’s aggressive defending can cause issues for the Whites when he steps up or towards an opponent and leaves space between him and his fellow defenders for the opposition to exploit.

Instead of backing himself to cover ground when teams attack, the centre-back wants to get tight to make a challenge or block due to his lack of pace, but that can work against the overall structure of the team.

The 27-year-old defender’s performance against Chelsea best summed up the issue that his style of play causes, because his face value statistics were super, winning seven of his eight duels and making 11 defensive contributions.

Yet, his team still conceded six goals and that was, in part, down to the lack of structural discipline in how the back five moved and covered for each other.

Bijol is far from useless for Leeds, just as Berardi was not either, and he has had some strong performances for the Whites, scoring once in the Premier League last term.

However, when he mistimes his moments to be aggressive with his press or movement defensively, his lack of mobility to recover the situation can cause problems for the team.

That is why Farke should take the experienced defender out of the starting line-up ahead of the club’s clash with Newcastle United on Monday, following the heavy defeat to Chelsea.