OPINION
There has been a marked change in not only the style of football that Leeds United are playing this season but the ability of their players, with some men looking completely reborn under manager Marcelo Bielsa.
Giving an insight into the ways of the Argentine manager, Mateusz Klich, who is one of those transformed after a bitterly disappointing season during his first year at Elland Road, has admitted he and the rest of the squad have been worked seriously hard by the coaching staff, but has laid all the credit for the club’s early success at his boss’ door.
However, while the tactics and the extra work both have played their part in ensuring the Whites top the Championship table, the fact that the players are joining the fans in loving the sort of football Bielsa is asking them to play might just be the biggest pointer that the club are destined for success.
Klich told the Telegraph: “It was a shock, very different. We don’t play games, it is tactics, tactics, tactics and fitness. Pre-season was so hard, so much running, so much work in the gym and then tactical shape every afternoon.
“It’s a really nice way of playing, the fans love it because we are always on the front foot. We defend high and we worry about what is happening in front of us. We like to go forward, to create danger in the opposition half. It really suits me. I don’t think we knew how good we could be.
“When I go forward, I don’t even check who is with me, I don’t look behind, I know that the rest of the team have got my back. The system is about trust, you have to be able to know that the man alongside you, or behind you, is going to come with you. It is harder than I have ever worked, but we enjoy it, honestly.”
Bielsa has instilled more than just a tactical approach on this squad – there is a mindset in each and every of the players that urges them to work as a group to be better, and it sounds as though they are loving not only the rewards it brings but the football they play as a result.
Bielsa might be a hard worker, but with everyone, from the fans to the player and the top brass, on board, the Whites are only heading up.