Everything You Need to Know About Leeds United
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Leeds United ended their 16-year hiatus from the Premier League when they claimed the Championship trophy last season. Under the guidance of Marcelo Bielsa, confidence is high within the squad, and the supporters, but it will be interesting to see how the added expectations will affect the club during the 2020/21 campaign.
About the Club
Names: Leeds United Football Club, nicknamed The White and The Peacocks.
Founded: October 17th 1919.
Stadium: Elland Road. Capacity, 37,792.
Manager: Marcelo Bielsa. 65-year old Bielsa is revered in his home nation of Argentina by the supporters of Newell’s Old Boys, a team he both played for and managed. Bielsa was an average player that never represented his country and as a manager he is known more for his style than his substance.
Pep Guardiola has stated that Bielsa is one of the best coaches in the world yet the Argentinian hasn’t won many trophies. Bielsa has been in charge of some very good teams such as Espanyol, Athletic Bilbao, Marseille, Lazio, Lille and now Leeds. He has also managed both the Chile and Argentina national teams.
Other than during his early days with Newell’s Old Boys, Bielsa’s only trophy of note is last season’s Championship league title, having only finished as runners-up with Bilbao in the Copa del Rey and Europa League finals.
Key Players: Illan Meslier, Luke Ayling, Liam Cooper, Diego Llorente, Kalvin Phillips, Mateusz Klich, Raphinha, Patrick Bamford. Leeds play very much as a unit, just how the manager likes his teams to play. There are no one or two players that the team overly depends on. Instead, the team attacks and defends as one, creating lots of goalscoring opportunities at the expense of clean sheets.
This season, Kalvin Phillips has once again proved vital in the side, linking the defence and midfield to create a fluid style of play. Bamford offers more than just goals up front, holding up the ball and bringing the likes of Raphinha, Harrison and Costa into play.
History
Leeds United are no stranger to success in the English game and have come very close to European honours as well. The Whites have won the top division title on three previous occasions, the last arriving in 1991/92. Leeds have also claimed the 2nd tier league title on four occasions and the 3rd tier once backing in 2009/10.
In the cups, Leeds have claimed one FA Cup in their history, back in 1972, but have finished as runners-up on three occasions. In 1968 the club claimed their one and only League Cup trophy and finished as runners-up in 1996. On the European stage, Leeds have made it to two major finals, but lost both times. In 1975 the club made it through to the European Cup final and two years earlier they made it through to the final of the Cup Winners’ Cup.
As Things Stand
Leeds United have made a decent start to life back in the big time and currently sit 12th in the Premier League table with 10-games played. Bielsa’s men have scored 15-goals in their opening 10-matches but have conceded 17-goals. While this isn’t an issue just yet, Bielsa will need to tighten up that defence if he stays on at Leeds and wants to see them progress to the next level.
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