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Marcelo Bielsa reacts to Struijk’s and Koch’s displays in Leeds loss
Marcelo Bielsa suggested that he was satisfied with Robin Koch’s display in Leeds United’s defeat to Liverpool on Saturday, but labelled Pascal Struijk one of their better players at Anfield, .
The Whites were dealt a big blow heading into the opening day. Liam Cooper was missing from the lineup due to injury.
That meant a baptism of fire for Koch and Struijk. The German was making his debut for the club following his summer move, while the latter made his first start at centre-back for the Whites having previously made a handful of appearances as a substitute or in holding midfield.
And on paper, it would appear that neither had a particularly good afternoon. Leeds lost 4-3. And of course, Koch was penalised for a handball in the very early stages of the game.
However, both players arguably deserve a lot of praise. Koch looked confident on the ball, showing glimpses of being a player capable of replacing Ben White.
Meanwhile, Struijk’s stock continues to rise considerably. The 21-year-old had a couple of shaky moments. But he certainly did not look out of his depth at Premier League level.
And when asked about how big a blow it was to lose Cooper, Bielsa lauded both of the men who featured at centre-back.
“Cooper is our captain. It can never go without notice when you are missing your captain,” he said, . “But clearly Pascal was one of the better players in our team today and Koch had a satisfactory performance.”
TBR View: Promising signs from centre-backs
It would be wrong to ignore some of the mistakes Leeds made. Liverpool were dominant when they had attacking set-pieces.
However, Struijk probably had little expectation of starting more than a couple of days before the game. And his inclusion would have also had an impact on Koch’s preparations.
So like many of their teammates, Struijk and Koch can be extremely proud of their performances on Merseyside.