Many teams that are promoted to the Premier League have been pigeonholed as relegation candidates before a ball has even been kicked. Managers often bemoan the gap between the Championship and the top-flight, and many teams have played in a certain way – defensively, relying on hard work and long balls – in a bid to grind out the required results to keep them up; think Sam Allardyce and Bolton Wanderers, Tony Pulis and Stoke City, and more recently Sean Dyche and Burnley.
But this season Marcelo Bielsa and Leeds United appear that they are going to buck that trend. Bielsa’s team currently sit in 12th place in the Premier League on 36 points with 10 games remaining, and look a safe bet according to this guide to use accumulator for betting to retain their place at the top table. And they have achieved this while playing open, attacking football.
Their opening two fixtures provided an indication of the way that things have panned out so far for Leeds. Their first game saw them lose a seven-goal thriller 4-3 away at champions Liverpool, while their first home game saw them beat fellow new boys Fulham 4-3.
And goals have continued to flow in games involving Leeds. A 3-0 win away to Aston Villa was followed by a 4-1 mauling at home to high-flying Leicester City. A 5-2 trouncing of Newcastle United at Elland Road was followed by a spectacular 6-2 defeat to fierce rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford. A 5-0 win over West Bromwich Albion at the Hawthorns was followed by a 3-0 defeat away to Spurs. In the last month they’ve lost 4-2 to Arsenal at the Emirates, and beaten Southampton 3-0 at home. Indeed, last weekend’s goalless draw with Chelsea was only their second such result of the season. Leeds have scored 43 goals while conceding 46.
This season, Leeds more often than not play to a 4-1-4-1 formation meaning that they take to the field with five attacking players, and with a brief to get the ball into their opponents half quickly. The quality of their attackers means that goals are an inevitability – Leeds have scored three or more in a game seven times. However, their relatively inexperienced back four – from a Premier League perspective – means that when they have off days, they often concede heavily; Leeds have conceded three or more in a game on eight different occasions. You would imagine that if Leeds can add a bit of defensive experience to their squad, next season could be even better for them.
The Elland Road faithful are delighted with Bielsa and their team. They’ve won games, scored goals, and never looked in any danger. And the way they’ve gone about things must give hope to Championship managers with promotion aspirations that they can survive in the Premier League without backs-to-the-wall tactics.
