Leeds United enjoyed an excellent start to their campaign last season as well, but it was around December that their wheels came off and they kept on going downhill until the end of the season. A managerial change happened and even that couldn’t resurrect the slide and in the end, they ended up finishing 13th on the table.
Instead of making wholesale changes to the squad, the club made a bold move and appointed former Argentina manager Marcelo Bielsa. We are close to six months into the season, and the result is there for everyone to see. Even with multiple injuries, the Whites have now opened up a 5 point gap for the direct promotion spot and look set to come out of their wilderness from the lower divisions of English football.
Former Sunderland striker and Sky Sports pundit Don Goodman who is notorious for criticising United had nothing but praise for the club and said (Via Leeds Live), ”I honestly believe this fella (Bielsa) has had so much of an impact on all of those players, even the young players. We’re regularly watching Leeds United on Sky Sports bringing teenagers onto the pitch, who are excelling in a very pressurised environment.
“Make no mistake, they are the real deal Leeds United, this season. Probably for the first time in many, many years they are genuine automatic promotion contenders, and with that comes pressure.”
There is no doubt that the West Yorkshire outfit are one of the favourites now to go through via the automatic promotion spot. What makes us more confident in that notion is that the Whites have had to fight off multiple injuries to some of their crucial players and they have kept on plugging away with the results. Bielsa’s side might not be beating their opponents as they did in the initial few months but they are finding a way to get the job done, and that is what Champion sides are made of as they tend to get three points even when they are not at their best.
With certain players close to returning, the Whites should be confident going in the second half of the season after the turnaround Bielsa has made. Without making any wholesale changes to the squad, the club has gone about their business well.
Certain players have punched above their weight, and not many pundits or even the Whites faithful would have known that their current squad possessed such talent. What has been even more refreshing is their style of play and how they control the game from start to end. By controlling the possession and pressing high up the pitch, they hardly give their opponents a chance to build up and exciting times certainly seems to be back at Elland Road.
