Brentford 2-0 Leeds: Marcelo Bielsa admits automatic promotion hopes are slim after disastrous weekend

Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa admitted his side’s automatic promotion chances look slim after their damaging 2-0 defeat at Brentford.

Neal Maupay put Brentford ahead on the stroke of half-time when he curled a stunning 25-yard drive past Leeds keeper Kiko Casilla and Sergi Canos put the game beyond doubt just after the hour mark when he finished off a slick four-man move.

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The result leaves Leeds three points behind second-placed Sheffield United and with an inferior goal difference, with just two matches remaining.

Bielsa said: “I am very sad with today’s loss and it’s going to be very difficult but as long as maths say something we will follow this. But we know our opportunity is now less.”

The Argentinian shook every one of his players’ hands at the end of the pivotal game “because we all saw that our possibility to finish first and second were decreasing… and the players felt that too. I thought they deserved that for all the effort they made.”

He refused to be drawn on Patrick Bamford’s first-half penalty claim but conceded Leeds’ automatic promotion chances have faded because of their failure to take their chances.

He continued: “Today’s game was like many we have played this year. We didn’t take advantage of the positive moments where we could have made a difference.

“At the beginning of the first and second half we could have scored. The moments we dominated less they dominated us and scored. During the second half when we were dominating and we thought the draw was coming, they scored their second goal.

“They have good offensive players but we need to look at why we have to have twice as many chances to score as our opponent. If we had normal efficiency we would have 10 or 12 points more than we have but that’s not the case so now we have to put all our energy in the options we still have.

“There is sadness linked to the fact that we could have changed small things but if we want to say ‘why we don’t have 10 points more’ you just have to take a look at how many chances to score we need compared to other teams to score against us.”

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Manchester United had concerns about Sir Alex Ferguson ahead of 1998/99 treble winning season

On 26 May, 1999 Manchester United were crowned kings of Europe in dramatic fashion.

In doing so they did what no English side had ever done – win the Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup in one season.

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The Queen then recognised manager Alex Ferguson’s greatness by making him a knight of the realm, however, the men in charge at Old Trafford had their reservations about him ahead of the 1998/99 season.

They wondered if he’d taken his eye off the ball – maybe he was more interested in horse racing than taking United to the next level?

“At the time we felt we’d slipped a little bit, having won the double two years before,” the former chief executive Martin Edwards told talkSPORT as part of a special documentary called ‘Football, Bloody Hell! How United won the Treble’, adding that Ferguson was even asked to return from his holiday early for crisis talks.

Arsene Wenger had arrived at Arsenal in October 1996 and, by 1998, had won the league and cup double in his first full season at the club.

Only one team could halt their quest for total domination and that was the Gunners. The threat was very real, though Fergie was outraged at the mere suggestion he had lost his drive.

And it would take more than that to rattle the determined Scot. He was made of the type of steel that would put any White Walker to sleep.

“That was shown by the way he responded,” Edwards added, explaining the club was right behind their manager and pointed to the significant backing in the transfer market that saw Jaap Stam, Dwight Yorke and Jesper Blomqvist arrive for a combined figure just shy of £30m.

“At the end of the day, these things happen in businesses and in football clubs, but as long as you come out on the right side it’s justifiable,” Edwards said.

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Fergie also happened to possess a group of players who demanded nothing less than the best, as Steve McClaren found out when he left Derby to become Fergie’s assistant midway through the 1998/99 season following Brian Kidd’s departure.

Speaking to talkSPORT, he explained nothing could have prepared him for life on the training pitch with Roy Keane, Gary Neville and Peter Schmeichel among others.

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“The first five months between January and May were the toughest five months of my life,” he recalled.

“The environment was tough, the players were tough – if a cone was out of place, if a decision was wrong, if a drill wasn’t right or training wasn’t going well, they’d let you know.

“They wanted the best. They wanted teaching, they wanted training, they wanted toughness, they wanted discipline, they wanted competitiveness – the players demanded that, it didn’t come from the manager.”

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In the end Manchester United and Arsenal – two of the Premier League’s greatest rivals – fought a breathtaking battle for domestic superiority, which United won by a point on the final day of the season.

They kept Alan Shearer quiet to wrap up the FA Cup final and saw off both Inter and a very strong Juventus team en route to the Champions League final – the first time an English side had reached European football’s most prestigious match in 14 years – before staging a dramatic stoppage time comeback to beat Bayern at the Camp Nou.

The message was clear: nobody puts Fergie in the corner.

You can listen to a special talkSPORT documentary called ‘Football, Bloody Hell! How United won the Treble’ featuring contributions from Teddy Sheringham, Andy Cole, Steve McClaren and Martin Edwards here.

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Manchester United had concerns about Sir Alex Ferguson ahead

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The 1998-99 season was the most successful season in the history of Manchester United Football Club. After finishing the previous season without winning any titles, United won the treble of trophies (the Premier League, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League), the first side in English football to achieve such a feat.
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Women’s World Cup 2019: Who are the Lionesses’ superstars to watch out for in France?

England’s preparations for the Women’s World Cup are nearly finished and there is a real optimism that Phil Neville’s side can achieve something great in the tournament.

The Lionesses triumphed in the SheBelieves Cup in the United States, winning the competition ahead of the hosts, who are ranked No.1 in the world.

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England finished third at the last World Cup in 2015, and, despite the absence of key midfielder Jordan Nobbs, the team is littered with a number of talented stars.

But who are the key players in the side? talkSPORT.com has given our verdict…

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Keira Walsh

Walsh enjoyed a fine season in the holding midfield role for Man City as they finished runners up in the league.

She has been an assured presence in front of the defence and even chipped in with one goal and five assists in 19 appearances –  a decent return for a defensive minded player.

The 22-year-old made her debut for England in a World Cup qualifier against Kazakhstan in 2017 and has since emerged as one of Neville’s most important players.

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Nobbs, speaking to Sky Sports, has admitted Walsh’s passing ability will be crucial to how England fare in the competition.

“The way that we want to play, we need that midfielder who can make passes long and short. She created a goal for Beth Mead in the SheBelieves Cup with a 40-yard diagonal.

“We need players to step up and she has been one of those players. I hope I can play alongside her in the years to come.”

Nikita Parris

Parris has risen to be one of the most prolific strikers in the women’s game and she spearheaded Manchester City to victory in both domestic major cup competitions this term.

The 25-year-old scored a stunning 19 goals in 19 games in a stellar campaign in the league.

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She has also been snapped up by the Lyon – the current Champions League holders after thrashing Barcelona – and her confidence should be sky high after securing that move.

Parris goes into the tournament in good nick, too, having scored in the SheBelieves Cup and in the warm-up game against Denmark.

Beth Mead

Mead is another who has come on leaps and bounds under Neville’s management and she was another player who was very impressive in the SheBelieves Cup.

It was the 24-year-old’s wonderstrike that saw England overcome Brazil and she hit the back of the net against Japan too.

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Before Mead moved to Arsenal, she was a prolific striker for Sunderland but she is also hugely versatile, having featured mainly on the wing under Neville.

Alongside Parris up front, the duo can be lethal in attack for the Lionesses at this World Cup.

Lucy Bronze

If England are to go all the way in France it’s likely the Lyon ace will be a key factor.

She was the heiress to Alex Scott’s role at right-back and has gone on to become one of the world’s finest in her position, while Lionesses boss Neville has taken to playing her in midfield too, such is her exceptional quality.

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Since moving to Lyon she’s added more trophies to her already impressive haul with Liverpool and Manchester City.

As well as three Women’s Super Leagues, she’s now got two French league titles under her belt and won the Champions League twice.

Don’t be surprised if she pops up with a goal or two either. In the 2015 World Cup she netted against Canada and Norway, while she was shortlisted for the Golden Ball at the tournament too.

Steph Houghton

“We’ve got a real mix of experience and talent at the World Cup,” says talkSPORT’s World Cup reporter Faye Carruthers.

“Houghton (105 caps) is the captain and has a wealth of experience behind her given that she’s the Manchester City captain, too. She’s a central defender, so her marshalling of everyone and influence on the pitch is really important.”

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A warrior on the pitch, Houghton is one of the Lionesses many history makers and in October 2014 was the first woman to be on the cover of Shoot Magazine, a huge step for the women’s game which now regularly features in the publication and other similar titles.

The 31-year-old has 11 major domestic trophies to her name, while she has been a standout performer in England’s success in recent years.

Watch out for set-pieces, she may be a centre-back but she’s got a great free-kick on her – as she showed against America in the SheBelieves Cup.

Fran Kirby

Hailed ‘Mini Messi’ at the 2015 World Cup by then-manager Mark Sampson, Kirby has gone onto big things with Chelsea.

At the last tournament injury curtailed her campaign as she was ruled out from the quarter-finals onwards, unable to help her team-mates who eventually finished third.

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This time out, with two stunning domestic seasons under her belt, she’s likely to play a big role for the Lionesses with her current boss also lavishing praise on her.

After watching his side beat Brazil last October he claimed he’s rather have her in his team than six-time Player of the Year Marta.

“I’d take my No 10 over Brazil’s No 10, that’s for sure,” he said.

“I don’t think Fran realises how much she can keep going, she doesn’t realise her full potential yet.”

If she can focus in France then the World Cup may well be coming home.

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Tottenham new stadium: Gazza’s emotional return, Keane’s brilliance, Mourinho back in the dugout and best moments from test event

The second piece of football at Tottenham’s new stadium saw a Spurs Legends team lose a thrilling encounter against a selection of icons from Inter Milan’s past.

Jose Mourinho was back in the dugout to help lead the Inter team and helped mastermind a 5-4 victory for the Italian giants.

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Houssine Kharja scored the winning goal, with Juan Sebastian Veron, Nicola Ventola and David Suazo (two) also on the scoresheet.

Teemu Tainio, Robbie Keane, Allan Nielsen and Dimitar Berbatov were Spurs’ scorers.

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Unsurprisingly, the match produced plenty of incident and below you can see the best pictures and videos from the splendid contest.

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View this post on Instagram

🙌 Back together 😎👊 #COYS #THFC

A post shared by Tottenham Hotspur (@spursofficial) on Mar 30, 2019 at 8:41am PDT

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