Leeds United were handed a defeat against Swansea City, but they should still remain as the heavy favourite to move up a division. Even though the club might have lost some crucial players, the Whites have started the season well. They have dropped five points by now, but their performances on the pitch has been impressive so far. All they need to do now is to be consistent and improve on their finishing abilities.
Chris Kamara on Leeds United’s promotion chances
Former Leeds United midfielder and Sky Sports pundit Chris Kamara believes that the Whites will get back to the Premier League by next season. He said (LS11 Youtube Channel), “I very much think so now (On whether Leeds will get promoted).
Normally teams that have lost in play-off semi-finals and play-off finals the start of the following season they fall away. Leeds are the team to beat in the Championship this year. Whoever finishes above Leeds will get promotion. Looking at the way they have started and how strong they are at the back and scoring goals from the front. They are the team to beat.”
It is no surprise to see pundits counting the Whites as the favourites, but we have seen what could happen in a long season in the previous term. Leeds United didn’t play badly in the second half of the last season, but they were unable to get results when it mattered the most.
What can stop them from getting promoted?
The Whites will surely not like to be involved in another playoff battle, so a direct promotion should be on their minds. One thing the club will hope for is to avoid injuries this season. On far too many occasions last season, the Whites had some injury issues, and Bielsa never had a fully fit squad to choose from. This season again, the main squad is quite thin, and Bielsa will be banking on the versatility of his players to fill in various positions during the injury crisis.
Many believed that Bielsa’s training regimes contain too much intensity and involve high octane football which might be a reason behind their recent bad run with injuries. Moreover, the Argentine manager usually picks the same eleven without making too many changes until it is forced. However, quite a few injuries which were sustained by the players were impact injuries that happened during the games.
The players and their bodies should be much more accustomed this time around to take the vigours of Bielsa’s demands. However, given that Championship in itself is an intense league, one cannot rule out players missing out again due to injuries. That is probably the only primary concern for the Whites. Everyone associated with the club will hope that the core group of 15-16 players can stay relatively injury-free throughout the campaign.
