‘Bring it on’ Leeds United fans react to what they see in training video

12 June 2020

2 minute read

Phil Hay wrote a piece for The Athletic a few days ago looking at one particular method of Bielsa training. In Marseille the called it ‘opposition’, at Bilbao is was termed ‘champions’ and at Newell’s Old Boys it had no name. Leeds United simply call it ‘murderball’.

Murderball – players love and loathe in equal measure

It involves constantly moving football with no respite. When the ball goes out, another is quickly flipped into play to keep the action going. It is high-octane, high-intensity football that players love to loathe yet, strangely, are drawn to it when not engaged in it.

It is 11 vs 11 with, as Hay writes, a focus for Bielsa where: “the tactical aspects of it bother him less than the yards his players cover and the ferocity of their sprints.” It builds up leg strength and stamina and is much tougher than a full-blown Championship game. Hay reports one Leeds player saying “It’s not even close,” when asked of the comparison.

Twitter: 😍 Training steps up a gear! https://t.co/sBBX70rSTm (@LUFC)

The above video clip shows snippets of training from today at Thorp Arch. Part of the snippet shows murderball in action. The intensity that has only been whispered about can be seen in action.

With Leeds United fans being starved of football at present, anything showing the Whites in action is seized upon and commented on. That is no different from this video snippet; here are some of the comments fans made.

Murderball in action – Leeds United fans comment on the training video

If this is the intensity of training that Leeds United are putting themselves under with a full week to go before the Cardiff game, it all bodes well.