Leeds United defender Luke Ayling said the team has proved its doubters wrong through their performances in the past two games, speaking to the club’s official website.
The Whites have been a joy to watch in the Premier League. Leeds almost grabbed a draw with Liverpool at Anfield on the opening day and have won four games and drawn two since, earning a multitude of plaudits.
However, one criticism levelled at Leeds was the side conceding 17 goals in its first eight league games, with Bielsa’s system criticised as too open.
However, that problem seems to have been solved. Leeds kept clean sheets in back-to-back games against Arsenal and Everton, and Ayling is thrilled to have proved people wrong.
He said: “Before our last two games, people were saying we concede too many goals. So to hold two very good teams to zero is very pleasing for us boys at the back.
“The first eight games in the league were always going to be a learning curve and I feel like we’ve learnt a lot of lessons from those games. Now I feel like our football is getting better. We’re not just running around and being hard to beat.”
Bielsa’s system always gives teams an opportunity to score goals. Their pressing game makes it difficult for opponents to get past them but, once they break that press, there’s a lot of free space to exploit.
However, Leeds have defended as a team in their past two games and have merited those clean sheets.
The win against Everton puts Leeds just three points behind fifth-placed Southampton. If they can continue to be consistent at the back, they will be a hard team to beat and could be toasting a highly impressive season by the end.
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