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“Taking the Championship by storm” – Pundit hails key aspect of Bielsa’s Leeds for positive start

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Sky Sports pundit David Prutton has hailed Leeds United’s game management abilities for helping toward our successful start to the season under Marcelo Bielsa.

The Argentine head coach has completely transformed the club’s fortunes since his arrival in the summer of 2018, having taken over a mid-table side that would spend his maiden campaign challenging for automatic promotion into the Premier League.

Last season may have failed to return a place in the top-flight, but the style Bielsa brought to Elland Road formed the blueprints for another push this term, and we are once again fighting at the top of the tree for the coveted promotion spots.

For Prutton, the club’s ability to manage the flow of proceedings during a game and see out results even when not performing at our best has been instrumental to the positive start seen this season.

“This Leeds team are taking the Championship by storm,” Prutton noted in his column for Sky Sports. “Their game management is excellent, and they often pick up points even when they aren’t at the races.”

Is Bielsa laying the foundations for success?

Yes, we're taking the title this season

Yes, we're going up to the Premier League

No, we are still missing something

Straight out of the blocks this season, Bielsa oversaw a five-game unbeaten run that included four wins, and despite an unsteady September and October, November saw the club post nothing but wins while only conceding three goals.

Game management was key to taking the three points at home to Blackburn Rovers on November 9, having stormed to a two-goal lead inside 35 minutes, only for Tony Mowbray’s visitors to pull one back shortly before the break in a fixture that ended 2-1.

We had to dig deep and control proceedings on the road to Luton Town later last month, too, after James Collins pulled the score level three minutes after Patrick Bamford’s opener, and needed a stoppage-time own goal from Matty Pearson to seal the win.

Jack Harrison was thankfully to hand at Reading on November 26, as well, as the Manchester City loanee scored the only goal of the encounter in the 87th-minute after we only managed to turn one of 14 shots on target prior to the breakthrough.

In other Leeds United news, the club have been handed a welcome transfer boost, as a Premier League manager has discussed a sought-after star’s future amid recent speculation.

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