Leeds United will be overtaken by Preston North End if Marcelo Bielsa’s side lose at Deepdale on Tuesday night.
Preston North End manager Alex Neil has stated that he has hardly seen a team in the Championship play with ‘as much width’ as Leeds United do.
Marcelo Bielsa’s side will travel to Deepdale on Tuesday night hoping to build on their victory against Birmingham City from the weekend, but they face a stern test against a free-flowing Preston team.
Considering how both Leeds and Preston like to play, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the game if full of goals because both teams like to play on the front foot.
Ahead of the match, Neil was in awe of how Bielsa sets his team up, but he did point out that the one area Leeds would want to improve on is their conversion rate.
“Leeds play with as much width as any team I have seen at this level,” Neil told the Lancashire Post. “They have a full-back on one touchline and one on the other, then two wide players on each touchline.
“That is easy to set up but what’s difficult is having your players that far apart and still retaining the ball with real quality. A lot of teams bring their players close together so your passes are only five to six yards or 10-12 yards, rather than having to be 20-40 yards. Leeds do both sides of the game well.
“Probably the one facet they would like to better is the conversion of chances. That are number one for shots in the league. Leeds have more possession than most teams they play against, they are just a dangerous team. They get the ball back, they are hungry, aggressive and just a good side in every aspect apart from the conversion of chances.”
There is not much between these two teams heading into Tuesday nights fixture, as a defeat for Leeds could see them spiral down the table.
Preston are sitting sixth in the table and they are only two points off second-placed Leeds, who could potentially fall out of the top-six places by the end of this next round of fixtures, or even be sitting top of the table.
Therefore, this is the time for Bielsa’s side to lay down the marker and start to open that gap between themselves and the rest of the division.
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