Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa said he had to take some of the blame for his side’s defensive failings after they were beaten 2-0 by West Ham United on Monday.
The Yorkshire club, who returned to the Premier League this season after a 16-year absence, are 11th but have the third-worst defensive record, conceding 46 goals in 27 games. Only Crystal Palace (47) and West Bromwich Albion (56) have conceded more.
On Monday, West Ham’s Jesse Lingard converted a rebound from his own penalty and Craig Dawson scored a header to hand Leeds a fourth defeat in five games.
“When a team concedes as many goals as we do, I can’t ignore that reality,” Bielsa said. “Having defenders who have played so well, you wonder why we concede so many. “In this case, there’s a responsibility from myself because if you have good footballers to recover the ball and the team concedes, inadvertently the coach is involved.”
Leeds host fourth-placed Chelsea on Saturday.
