Eddie Gray has said that the Leeds player have to pick themselves up after an Easter weekend that saw their automatic promotion hopes in tatters.
Talking on the Jim White Show (talkSPORT, Tuesday, 12pm), the former Leeds manager said that it did look like Marcelo Bielsa’s side would have to go up via the play-offs but added that no other team would want to play Leeds.
“I don’t think we’re going to catch Norwich, and Sheffield United play at home to Ipswich, a side that’s already relegated,” said Gray. “You can’t imagine Sheffield United slipping there and their goal difference is vastly superior to Leeds’.
“They’ve just got to pick themselves up and get on with it. On their day they’re more than capable of beating anyone. Remember that we’ve already beaten Aston Villa away and if it is the play-offs, the players have just got to be ready for it.”
OPINION
If Leeds are going to have to go through the play-offs then they’ll have an advantage if they know sooner rather than later. If Sheffield United beat Ipswich convincingly on Saturday then Marcelo Bielsa effectively has two games to prepare for the play-offs and he should use them wisely. He should rest some of his tired stars and get them back to 100% and try a few youngsters from the Under-23s. Mentally, Bielsa has to get rid of the disappointment that any of the players might be feeling and replace it with positivity. If it’s Derby, West Brom and Villa, Leeds need to remember that they’ve beaten all of them, and that they’re only three games away from the Premier League. Leeds fans might have preferred to do it without the drama, but if they do end up going up, what a way to do it – at Wembley with a massive crowd of Leeds fans cheering them on.