There is quite a bit of evidence to suggest that Leeds United’s opponents are more motivated to beat them than they are other teams.
Leeds United weren’t happy about Wigan Athletic’s defeat by Preston North End this past weekend.
The Latics went into the home game on the back of a shock 1-0 victory at Elland Road the previous weekend.
And their dismal performance against the Lilywhites last Sunday angered some Leeds fans, many of whom suggested that the game in West Yorkshire was a cup final to them.
You could forgive the supporters for being a little bitter, but the truth is that it only reinforced what United fans have been theorising about for quite a while: the opposition do raise their game in a big way against Marcelo Bielsa’s side.
Last night we saw Nottingham Forest – who beat Bielsa’s troops 2-0 last weekend – slump to a 1-0 reverse to Charlton at The City Ground.
Overall, Leeds have lost eight times in the Championship this season and seven of those teams lost their next league game after beating the Whites.
It isn’t a curse so much as it is a glaring illustration that when it’s Leeds, the opposition are certainly a lot more motivated to win.
They have hardly gone under the radar since Bielsa arrived in England during the summer of 2018. By being so successful, the Argentine, who inherited a mid-table squad, has inadvertently put a target on his side’s back and beating them has arguably become the scalp in the Championship.
But there’s no use complaining about it. If the former Athletic Bilbao and Argentina coach fails to get them into the Premier League again this season then he can’t turn around and blame the fact that opponents try extra hard against his side.
He has to roll with the punches and figure out a way in which to negate the oppositions’ motivational boost when it’s time to face Leeds. Their promotion bid hinges on it.
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