A sign of how well we are now regarded under Bielsa

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Deleted User 728

A sign of how well we are now regarded under Bielsa

Post by Deleted User 728 »

I thought this deserved a thread of its own - from today's BBC football site : https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/45268427

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Swansea City "shut a lot of people up" by drawing 2-2 with Leeds United, says striker Oli McBurnie.

The 22-year-old Scotland international scored twice at the Liberty Stadium as Swansea climbed to third in the Championship table and Leeds went top.

The draw came four days after they were held 0-0 at Birmingham.

McBurnie said: "I guess everyone expected us to get pumped after the weekend and we've shut a lot of people up with that performance."

Since arriving at Swansea from Bradford City in July 2015, McBurnie has had loan spells at Newport County, Bristol Rovers and Barnsley, returning from the latter in May to be part of new manager Graham Potter's plans.

"I'm loving it," said McBurnie. "The gaffer's come in with his new ideas and all the staff and all the boys have bought into it really well.

"Friday excluded, we've played some really nice stuff and got some really good results and we need to build on it and do it for 90 minutes.

"It was a lot closer to a complete performance [against Leeds], but we're getting there.

"He's changed the spirit. There were boys here that didn't necessarily want to be here and he's let them go.

"All the boys they've brought in are young, hungry players that want to play the way the gaffer wants to play and you can see that.

"It's something that maybe we haven't had for the last few years."

McBurnie twice put Swansea ahead against Marcelo Bielsa's Leeds, only for Kemar Roofe and ex-Swan Pablo Hernandez to level.

Leeds 'not favourites' in Swansea dressing room
McBurnie said many in the media "don't expect a lot" from Swansea as Potter manages a squad of limited resources after a summer of stunted transfer activity.

"We're quietly confident within ourselves," said McBurnie. "Everyone thought Leeds were massive favourites going into the game, but they weren't favourites in our dressing room."

Swansea host Bristol City on Saturday with McBurnie "100%" confident there is more to come from Swansea's young squad.

"We're all young - the average age of the team is 22, 23 - sowe're only going to get better. We're still gelling as a team," he said.

'Not tall enough' at Leeds
McBurnie was born and bred in Leeds, played for their junior teams from the ages of five to 15 and his old friends were at the ground on Tuesday.

He added: "They were all in the crowd. They all said they wanted me to score but Leeds to win so I would have been able to brag over them if we'd got the win.

"Me and my brother were both there when we were kids. Growing up in Leeds, it's nice to score against them, but the result is a bit disappointing.

"I got released for not being tall enough, believe it or not (he is now 6ft 3in). I was quite small when I was 15.

"I could never hold a grudge against them for that. I wouldn't be where I was today if that hadn't happened to me.

"It's made me a lot mentally stronger and stuff like that, so it's nice to score a couple against them."
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Another Northern Soul
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Re: A sign of how well we are now regarded under Bielsa

Post by Another Northern Soul »

Blimey, who'd have thought McBurnie was rejected at Leeds, it's like the commentators never mentioned it at all! :D
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