Former Leeds midfielder and Sky Sports pundit David Prutton has said that Leeds have a real opportunity this season, and that their position at the top of the table is deserved.
Talking in his column in the Yorkshire Evening Post, Prutton also compared Leeds to newly promoted side Huddersfield.
“To anyone who says the table doesn’t matter at this stage, I cautiously disagree,” Prutton said.
“A year ago it was Huddersfield Town in first place with 16 points; out of the blue, totally unfancied but sticking around.
“You’d have lost count of the number of people who said it wouldn’t last, and maybe I was one of them, but they did what successful teams do – they gave themselves a cushion.”
Prutton added that despite the season only being seven games in, Leeds have already taken a big step towards their target with 17 points.
Last season, Garry Monk’s Leeds side missed out on the play-offs by just five points and Prutton pointed to the slow start they made as the reason why.
Leeds lost four out of their first six games last season and drew one, with just one victory.
And those dropped points came back to haunt them at the end of the season.
Leeds have had some tough games in the Championship too, beating Birmingham, Sunderland and Nottingham Forest – teams that would have been expected to be challenging at the other end of the table.
Prutton went on to say that Leeds have a huge opportunity, although he admitted that no one would from the club would say it at the moment.
He reserved huge praise for Thomas Christiansen, not just for his new signings, but for the way he’s galvanised the existing players and inspired them to new heights.
“Eunan O’Kane wasn’t used as much as he should have been last season but he seems to be driving the midfield, leading it with his experience.
“Kalvin Phillips has been excellent and, like Liam Cooper, is playing as well as he ever has for Leeds. That can’t be a coincidence and it can’t be happening by chance. Christiansen is impacting on everyone.”
OPINION
Leeds have another big test next when they face Millwall away in the Championship on Saturday. They’re languishing at the other end of the table in 19th place, but the Den is a hostile ground – especially for Leeds – and securing the three points will be tough. If they manage it, though, it will be yet more proof that Christiansen’s team is in it for the long haul this season. The groundwork has been set in place meticulously over the summer and it’s already paying dividends. When Leeds look back at the end of the season, it could ironically be the departures of Chris Wood and Garry Monk that will be seen as the tipping point. And no one would have predicted that towards the tail-end of last season.