Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink told Premier League Productions that he is ‘very surprised’ by the fact that Chelsea outran Leeds by ‘6km’ during their encounter at Stamford Bridge last night.
Frank Lampard’s side came from behind to beat Leeds in front of 2000 supporters and Hasselbaink admitted that he never thought a team could actually outrun Marcelo Bielsa’s side this season.
Leeds have prided themselves on their work rate ever since their Championship days and not many teams have been able to cope with their 100 miles per hour style.
After last night’s encounter, Hasselbaink was told about Chelsea outrunning Leeds by some distance and it’s fair to say that he was left stunned.
“Wow, wow, wow,” said Hasselbaink. “Well, that’s what you need to do to beat them. You need to physically match them and go over them.
“But that for me, I am surprised. I am really surprised. I didn’t think that a team in the Premier League would be able to do that. I have been following them for a long time in the Championship and I know that they cover the pitch very, very well. A lot.
“For Chelsea to do, that has surprised me. But happily surprised me. They had to do it. The thing is that Leeds take you to that extreme. If you want to beat them you have to stick with them and if you do that then you have a chance. If you don’t, other teams have shown you, they cannot and they lose.”
Leeds should take such a statistic as a compliment because it just goes to show how far they push teams in order for them to get the win against them.
The Yorkshire giants are a newly-promoted side and they have made a team, who are now sitting top of the league, play like they are competing against one of their title rivals.
It’s a credit to the highly-demanding Bielsa, who hasn’t just brought a new lease of life to Leeds, but the Premier League itself.
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