Journalist Phil Hay has revealed what people inside Leeds United thought would be enough points to keep them in the Premier League.
Leeds managed to pick up what could be a valuable point last night against Crystal Palace, which moved them five points above the bottom three, despite only having two shots on target in the entire game.
Will Leeds avoid the drop?
Yes!
No!
While Leeds will be not fully delighted with a point as it keeps them fully in the midst of a relegation battle, it will have been important that they didn’t lose, as their upcoming fixtures are very tough and they could see them quickly slide down the table.
In summing up the current state of play as the fight to stay up continues, Hay wrote: “For a while, Leeds United reckoned 35 points would be enough to survive – but 35 points no longer looks like a guarantee of anything.” This would appear to suggest that the recent resurgence of the likes of Burnley and Everton’s steady home form has taken Leeds by surprise.
TIF Thoughts on Leeds’ chances of staying up…
Leeds certainly have a very tough run-in with the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City all still to come for Jesse Marsch’s side, so the fact that they have recently gone on a five-game unbeaten run could be season-defining.
It’s looking more and more likely that 35 points will not be enough to stay in the Premier League as Leeds have already reached the 34-point mark having played more games than Everton, who occupy the final relegation spot, so if the Toffees win that, it will be Burnley in the bottom three on 31 points and considering the run of form they are on, it seems unlikely they won’t surpass 35 points.
In other news: Phil Hay reveals ‘massive’ change Marsch has behind-scenes at Leeds