Marcelo Bielsa came close to securing Leeds’ return to the Premier League at the first time of asking, but the Argentine’s efforts ultimately fell short in the Play-Off Semi-Finals.
We now have limited funds to strengthen the parts squad that need reinforcing over the summer, and thus the club have been left searching for loan deals to add the extra quality in the areas the boss is after the most.
What could help our push for promotion, though, is scrapping the cups, and sacrificing a road to Wembley in the EFL Cup and FA Cup.
It’s a topic that has been in discussion on the Leeds United Reddit page recently, as leaving the knockout tournaments to the youth ranks would give the first-team a welcome rest when the schedule gets frantic.
We entered the EFL Cup in the First Round last season, with a tie at home to Bolton falling between a trip to Derby County and the visit of Rotherham to Elland Road. It meant three games inside a week, and while we beat the Wanderers, it meant another trio of fixtures inside seven days came our way later in the month.
Defeat to Preston North End in the Second Round meant the EFL Cup no longer posed the threat of another triple-header outside of any sprung up by the Championship schedule, although a win would have left Bielsa facing three games in six days as September drew to a close.
Thankfully, we do not enter the FA Cup until the Third Round Proper, which also kept our schedule clear of cup ties until the New Year, when a trip to Queens Park Rangers was carried out.
Losing at Loftus Road was disheartening at the time, but it ensured our calendar avoided any rescheduled games, as Millwall found out on their road to the Quarter-Finals.
Progression to the Fourth Round meant their tie with Derby County was pushed back into a three-game week, while advancing to the Fifth Round meant Hull City’s plans to host Millwall in mid-February were put on hold until the end of the month.
Being able to rest our key players could prove crucial in another promotion push, as Bielsa’s high-intensity game plans clearly took their toll on some of the players in his inaugural season with United.
Here’s what these Leeds fans had to say in regards to scrapping plans for a cup run…
Card
Card
Card
Card
Card
Card
Card
Card