Sam Allardyce believes Leeds United’s ‘mental fitness’ has let them down more than their physical following Luke Ayling’s comments last weekend.
Allardyce was speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the clash with Tottenham Hotspur, where he was quizzed on what Ayling said after the defeat at West Ham.
Following a really poor second half display in the capital, Ayling claimed Leeds’ fitness were not at the levels they once were, much to the anger of Whites supporters.
To recap, Ayling said: “We come out at half time and feel okay but the second half just isn’t good enough. We just can’t seem to go again, we put so much into the first half and the second half we just have nothing.
“In years gone by, teams have feared us when it comes to a running point of view and our fitness, but I just don’t feel like it’s there this season.”
Allardyce responds to Ayling comments
Allardyce did not entirely agree with Ayling’s admission, stating that he felt it ‘was there’ in the draw with Newcastle United a week earlier.
Instead, Allardyce put the poor second half display down to a mental weakness rather than physical based on what he saw from his first two matches in charge.
He said: “It was there against Newcastle, that’s what surprised me. It was a huge disappointment because of what he said. Mental fitness is much more important than physical fitness.”
In truth, they are probably both right. Leeds will have known how important the second half was last week to their survival hopes and were just unable to cope with the pressure.
However, there is no question the players are not physically at the level they once were under Marcelo Bielsa, when they were lauded week after week for their incredible running stats.
Weak mentality, poor fitness and a lack of quality at both ends of the pitch are ultimately a recipe for relegation.