OPINION
Leeds United might have been hit hard by their home defeat to promotion rivals Sheffield United in the last game before the international break but it would be unfair to say that the Whites are not still flying high.
Sitting third in the Championship Marcelo Bielsa and his men have continued to confound pre-season expectations and are still very much fighting for an automatic return to the Premier League.
They have had their cynics and critics, not least due to Bielsa’s methods, and while the spygate saga cast doubts over the morals of the man in the Elland Road dugout, their performances on the pitch have been excellent.
However, has Patrick Bamford just proved many of the doubters right?
One particular element which has had doubts cast over it at Leeds is the intensity of Bielsa’s demands on his players, with pundits and fans alike all asking the question of whether the players could suffer from burnout before the season is up.
So far there have been no suggestions that is the case – the players often rebutting the suggestion when asked – but Bamford has surprisingly admitted that the run of fixtures is starting to take its toll.
He told the Yorkshire Evening Post: “We’ve had a lot of games in a short period of time so in that respect, with the physical output we put in, we probably needed a rest. It’s one of them where it’s 50-50. There are pros to it and there are cons to it. It’s just annoying that we lost.”
The two week international break will give plenty of the squad a chance for a breather but it goes to show that those questioning whether Leeds could keep it up had a point.
Bamford’s honesty only adds fuel to the fire of the cynics and could act as a boost to their rivals, who will be hoping Leeds fall off the pace before the season is out.