Leeds United went back to the top of the Championship table this past week, thanks to a 2-0 win away from home at Barnsley, and they were also helped by Swansea City’s loss at home to Nottingham Forest.
Marcelo Bielsa’s men have been impressive so far in the season after seven games in the Championship, and are one of the favourites to secure promotion this season. The Whites have won 5 games, drawn one and lost one so far in the Championship.
Let’s take a look at 3 things we have learnt from Leeds’ start to the season:
Sturdy defence despite changes
The worry for many Leeds fans at the start of the season was the departure of central defender Pontus Jansson, who was one of Leeds’ most important players last season.
Leeds signed Ben White on loan from Brighton to replace Jansson and the 21-year-old central defender has surprised many with his impressive performances so early this season.
The young defender has been a calm and composed figure at the back and has formed a good partnership at the back with Liam Cooper. What’s been impressive about Leeds’ defensive performance so far this season is that they have conceded just 3 goals in 7 games in the Championship despite first-choice right-back Luke Ayling missing all 7 games.
Stuart Dallas has done a fantastic job at right-back, and the Leeds backline has stood strong despite key changes at the back.
Leeds United have a stronger squad this time
Leeds United did not make any big-money signings this summer, but instead chose to sign players on loan.
The 2019-20 Leeds squad is much stronger than last year’s with the inclusion of the likes of Helder Costa from Wolves, White from Brighton, Jack Harrison from Manchester City – who has returned for a second loan spell at Leeds, striker Eddie Nketiah from Arsenal, as well as Jack Clarke, who was sold by Leeds to Tottenham, but returned on loan.
This season’s squad is a young one, with the average of the squad 24 years, with the oldest player being goalkeeper Kiko Casilla at 32 years of age.
They continue to dominate games
Like most Bielsa teams, Leeds see the ball more than their opponents and move the ball quickly. The Whites have dominated almost every game this season and have been unlucky not to get all points in the two games in which they dropped points.
The side’s average possession per game is at a high 61.5% with a pass completion rate of 82.6%. If the team can keep their key players fit, they are bound to secure promotion to the Premier League this time around.