While it looked like Leeds United would achieve automatic promotion for much of the season, they are ultimately going to have to go through the play-offs if they want to play Premier League football next season.
It has been a real rollercoaster campaign at Elland Road. Leeds flew out the traps at the start of the season, blowing teams away with a fast paced and attacking style of football. They experienced a few dips in form over the months, as well as being involved in one of the biggest scandals of the season.
We are of course talking about spygate, when a Leeds staff member was caught spying on Derby County. The club would be fined, although it was bit of a dark spot on Marcelo Bielsa's reputation.
As fate would have it, Leeds are now set to meet Frank Lampard's side in the play-offs. Speaking after today's final league game at Ipswich, one journalist decided to ask Bielsa if he would repeat his spying tactics ahead of their meeting on May 11th.
It did not go down well with the Leeds boss:
You know that it’s a crime to spy. Do you know that? Do you know it was a crime?
When you have a level of ignorance and you work as a journalist and when you have a right to ask questions and when you lie in your answers and you don’t assume the irony and you keep telling what you ignore if spying is a crime or not you deserve a response without any conclusion.
You make your question knowing that observing the opponent is now sanctioned, you know it perfectly and you ask.
You deny the fact that you know the answer and you know I received a sanction. Is it a joke? If it was I don’t understand it. But it’s not because I don’t have a sense of humour.
You’re not funny.
A bit of a touchy subject so. To be fair, Bielsa seems like a thoroughly decent bloke (spying aside), but he was not happy here.
While the Argentine may not want to admit it, the spy gate scandal will add a bit of extra fire to this tie. We for one can't wait.
