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It would have been unimaginable in the 1970's and 80's for Leeds
to be considered anyone's second team as the Mighty Whites were not only
deplored up and down the country, but there was also a real dislike for
the football they played. Roll on to 2020 and that nasty approach on the pitch,
which saw them labelled with the tag of 'Dirty Leeds', is out
of the window. Leeds are now known for playing fast and expansive
football. The results aren't quite what they were 40 years ago
where they finished runners-up
in the league and FA Cup in 1970/71 season. However, supporters
of other teams in England now have a real soft spot for the Yorkshire
club. Marcelo Bielsa is the key reason behind this change
on the pitch. In their opening 10 matches this season in the Premier
League, there have been 32 goals in the games which Leeds have
been involved in. The most of any of the 20 clubs in the league. If it is entertainment you want as a football fan,
tuning into a Leeds game right now will deliver exactly that.
You are unlikely to see Leeds park the bus against any team in
the league. There is no finer example of that than the opening
game of the season, when Bielsa's men travelled to Anfield to
take on Liverpool. The Whites
gave the Premier League champions a scare and were unlucky
to go down 4-3 in a fantastic game of football. The number-one aim for Bielsa this season will be
to stay in the Premier League. They have shown enough so far to
suggest they can compete in the division with the squad they have.
The bookmakers seem to agree with that. As of the 28th November,
Leeds
are as big as 16/1 with Betway to be relegated, which indicates
they are fancied to stay up at the end of the campaign. In order to reach the target of safety, Bielsa has
not changed his style of football much from last season where
they dominated a lot of teams in the Championship. This was evident
in their 1-1 draw with Manchester City at Elland Road. Leeds had
53% possession in that game, which is some achievement, as Pep
Guardiola's side tend to dominate that statistic regardless of
the opposition. Leeds are performing the best of all three of the
promoted clubs from the Championship last season. West Brom are
17th in the standings at the time of writing, with just one win
to their name, while Fulham are 19th and looking in real danger.
Those two teams are really going to need a strong second half
to the campaign if they are to remain in the top-flight. Bielsa has opted to put faith in the majority of
the players which helped Leeds gain promotion last season and
many of them have risen to the test. Patrick Bamford is one of
those who is really enjoying playing in the Premier League. The
Leeds striker has scored seven goals in 10 games in the league.
His strike-rate is better than it was last season in the Championship. Kalvin Phillips is also thriving in the biggest
league in the world. He has been a
part of Gareth Southgate's recent England squads. The 24-year-old
now has four caps for his national team and looks likely to be
a part of the Three Lions squad for Euro 2020 next summer. If there is one player who Leeds fans may be expecting
more from going forward, it is their marquee summer signing Rodrigo
who cost a club-record fee. There is no doubt the former Valencia
man has the class - he just has not quite settled into English
football as quickly as many people would have expected. Leeds
have had some fantastic foreign players at the club over the last
few decades, including Frenchman
Eric Cantona who lit up Elland Road during his spell there.
Bielsa has not put too much pressure on Rodrigo's shoulders so,
hopefully, he can get better as the season progresses and be one
of those greats too. Long may the excitement continue with the Whites.
It makes a nice change being praised for the fantastic style of
football that supporters would love to see at their club.Staying Up Remains the Goal for Leeds
Many of Bielsa's Players Have Risen to The Challenge
of The Premier League