As we approach December, games will be coming thick and fast for Leeds and Marcelo Bielsa. After last seasons poor finishing in 13th place, one positive was our form up until the start of 2018. Over the 6 games played in December, Leeds picked up 14 points from 18, but is that what we can expect this year?
Overview
With a third of the season already gone, Leeds have shown many strengths, but possible signs of weakness. Similarly to the 2017/18 campaign, we started on a high, going 8 league games unbeaten and sitting top of the league, beating quality teams such as Stoke, Derby and Norwich in the process. However, since then, Leeds have been questioned by many on whether they can keep up with Bielsa's demands. The injury worries is starting to be a slight concern, as we lack some depth in defence. After their first loss to Birmingham in the League, they have gone on to pick up 12 points out of a possible 24, most recently losing 4-1 away to West Brom in a game which showed little to no spark from Leeds. Although it has seen us drop to 3rd, I feel we can't start to worry just yet.
In this review, I have picked out my star performers, along with my predictions for the rest of the season.
Standout Performers
I was truly impressed by the transformation in our style of play, with a squad which had minor changes to it from the previous year. Standout performers for many Leeds fans were the likes of Kalvin Phillips, Mateusz Klich, and Kemar Roofe. Early reports suggested that Bielsa was keen on Phillips and wanted to focus on his control of the ball. He started a number of pre-season friendlies occupying a deep midfield role, where he would drop into the back line and distribute the ball more frequently. However, I, like many didn't see the reasoning behind this as we didn't feel KP had the ability to take on such an important role. However, he has gone on to prove myself and many of his doubters wrong by putting in a number of top performances in the first 17 games of the season.
After the sale of Ronaldo Vieira and with Adam Forshaw out injured, it opened the door for other midfield options. With it being unlikely that Leeds were going to find a replacement in the summer window, Bielsa turned to Klich. With a lack of English football under his belt, and being sent away on loan to the Netherlands last January, Mateusz had a lot of pressure on him to take his chance. In his first game against Stoke, he put in a shift which saw him pick up the opening goal. From that moment forward, his career has gone from strength to strength. His work-ethic has seen large improvements, and his box-to-box role has become a vital piece to Leeds' success, and has deservedly earnt his recall back to the Poland International Squad. With Klich on 5 Goals and the same number of assists, could he build on this form for the rest of the season?
Finally, my other top performer so far has been our Talisman Kemar Roofe. His 7 Goals in 11 appearances do not give the full picture of how good he has been. His movement in the box, his control on the ball and his finshing has improved tremendously since Bielsa has taken charge at Leeds. The signing of Patrick Bamford would have been a wake up call for Kemar, knowing full well that if he didn't take his chances, then there would be competition for his spot. However, I feel that the signing has benefited the club, even with the unfortunate injury to PB, as they are learning a lot from working with each other. We have also seen the impact Tyler Roberts can have, as he stepped up in the absence of KR and PB, scoring 2 against Preston and the winner against Hull. I feel that for the first time for a long time, we have depth in our Striking options.
Summary
Overall, to sum up this 1/3 Review, I feel the best is hopefully still to come. With a number of injuries limiting our squad depth, if we can get through this Autumn/Winter period in the top 6, then there is no reason why we can't challenge for the automatic promotion spots. I look forward to seeing what Izzy Brown can offer when he returns from injury, after seeing him play well against us in the past for Rotherham and Huddersfield, as well as the return of Patrick Bamford who I feel can give another option for Bielsa.
Another key part of Leeds United is the talent that the Youth Academy brings, and this season I hope the likes of Jack Clarke and Jamie Shackleton are given the opportunities which they deserve.
I will be making Part 2 after the January Transfer Window, and look forward to reviewing the business that has hopefully been made.
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