Derby 1 Leeds 4: Kemar Roofe hits double as Marcelo Bielsa’s men rout Frank Lampard’s Rams
Frank Lampard was taught a harsh lesson in his first home game in charge of Derby
MARCELO BIELSA taught rookie boss Frank Lampard a harsh lesson at Pride Park then said he felt sorry for him.
The England and Chelsea legend was given a spanking in his first home game in charge of Derby by an Argentine coach who has transformed Leeds in a matter of weeks.
Mat Klich’s fifth-minute opener for Leeds was cancelled out seven minutes later by Tom Lawrence’s free-kick – but the visitors kicked on with a brace from Kemar Roofe and a fourth from Ezgjan Alioski.
Beilsa – whose side beat title favourites Stoke last weekend – said: “I feel sympathy for Frank. All that he has given to the game in his career, I love.
“As he is a young coach, I can’t express myself on his new profession.
There are many aspects of the game that show his football taste. There is a style of football that indicates the taste of the head coach.
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“I admire Frank so can only make positive comments on him. In the first hard, it was hard for us to prevent them from attacking.”
Lampard was left to reflect on a performance that was nowhere near as good as the one they showed in their season opener at Reading.
And he groaned: “We were well beaten by a better team and that is tough because we were under no illusions they’d be a good side. They were better with and without the ball.
“The most disappointing we went away from what we were pre-season and second half at Reading. That is something we can’t do. You can’t go away from it against a team like Leeds.
“We didn’t have control of midfield, they did.
“They looked more comfortable coming to our place than we did.”
How has Bielsa managed to transform Leeds from predictable mid-table fodder to an exciting team that look genuine Championship title contenders in a matter of weeks?
Yes, we are only two matches into the new season and Rome was not built in a day and all that – but this Yorkshire team are looking dangerously good.
There is a reason Pep Guardiola heralded the Argentine as the “best coach in the world.”
They are playing with a swaggering style that looks so unrecognisable from last season.
Frank Lampard – in his first job as a manager at Derby – was taught a lesson by the master at Pride Park.
Leeds’ midfield completely controlled the game and Derby struggled to lay a glove on their visitors.
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Bielsa, however, said is playing down expectations after a 100 per cent winning start to the season.
He said: “What happened in the game so far doesn’t mark a definite trend.
It’s too early to make conclusions. In each game, we’ll have to prove it all again.
“This is a competition where you have to show regularity so it’s important to bear this in mind. What is important is to continue these type of performances. And to be enthusiastic you need more time than two games.
“If you take a look at the ranking after 23, 46 games, you’ll see differences. To be excited now is to premature.”
Polish striker Klich could not even get a game last season under Thomas Christiansen and ended up being bombed out on loan to Dutch club Utrecht.
Yet he scored his second goal in as many matches to get Leeds up and running yesterday after just five minutes..
Derby lost possession in the visitors’ half and Pablo Hernandez broke forward, squared a pass to Klich and the Pole rifled it home into the bottom corner.
But Derby were back on terms in the 12th minute. Tom Lawrence drove forward and Liam Cooper brought him down on the edge of the box. He stepped up himself to fire a 25-yard free-kick past Bailey Peacock-Farrell.
But the visitors restored their advantage in the 21st minute when Ezgjan Alioski pinged in a beautiful floating cross from the right for Kemar Roofe to get between two defenders to head past Scott Carson from eight yards.
Leeds got a deserved third on the hour mark and it was from a wonderful piece of individual skill from Roofe. Picking up the ball on the edge of the box, he turned Fikayo Tomori before getting free and burying his shot into the top left corner.
It was game over as Leeds added No4. four minutes later.
Pablo Hernandez pumped in a long hopeful ball into the box from Leeds own half. The Derby defence just ball-watched as Roofe kept the ball in and looped a cross over for Alioski to head home unchallenged.