Leeds’ new system has been down to the players improved fitness.
Coming into the Championship campaign, the biggest worry in Leeds fans’ minds was whether Marcelo Bielsa could adapt to England’s second tier. Two games in, and that is a long-gone memory – but Paul Heckingbottom has some advice.
His new system sees Leeds line-up in an attacking 4-1-4-1 system – with players covering every inch of grass to keep up his tactical high press. It has seen them beat Stoke City and Derby, two of the division’s promotion candidates.
The players were made to train three times a day during pre-season, using a nearby hotel to rest rather than going home. Indeed, even Kalvin Phillips has admitted he feels as though he has lost weight.
But Heckingbottom has warned Bielsa on TalkSPORT that Leeds will struggle to keep up their level of intensity throughout the campaign, with both the Whites and the Argentine known for tailing off towards the end of the season.
“The Championship is relentless. It’s a unique league in that sense – 46 games,” Heckingbottom said. “He will have to rein it in now the games have started.
“It’s only two games. After nine games last season, Leeds were top of the league and then fell away massively. One of the problems was fitness levels.”
Leeds blew away Stoke with goals from Mateusz Klich, Pablo Hernandez and Liam Cooper, before Klich got his name on the scoresheet again alongside Gjanni Alioski and a Kemar Roofe brace to beat Derby 4-1.
Leeds are next in action on Tuesday night against Bolton Wanderers in the Carabao Cup, with Bielsa promising to make changes to his side. He has already confirmed Jamal Blackman, Jamie Shackleton, Patrick Bamford, Lewis Baker, Pontus Jansson, Tom Pearce and Jack Harrison will all start.
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