Leeds United have been in the ascendancy since Marcelo Bielsa took charge of the club in June 2018 and now appear to have the best chance of earning promotion since they dropped out of the Premier League in 2004.
The Whites were beaten by Derby County in the semi-final of the Championship playoffs in 2019 as a stunning maiden season under Bielsa’s tutelage came to a head.
But this time around, when the season finally reaches its conclusion, the club have a perfect opportunity to clinch one of the two automatic promotion spots.
The most recent occasion the West Yorkshire outfit came close to reaching the top flight before Biesla’s arrival came in the 2016/17 season under Garry Monk’s watch.
Monk led his side to a 7th place finish as they fell five points short of finishing inside the top six, leaving fans frustrated over another missed opportunity.
And with the global pandemic currently leaving football on hold, it’s an apt time to assess how that side would fare in a clash against the current Leeds slickers.
Bielsa vs Monk. Past vs Present. Let’s take a look…
Key battles
Two players who must regularly face up to one another in Bielsa’s training sessions, Luke Ayling and Jack Harrison, partake in one of the most intriguing individual battles to note.
The Manchester City loanee has grown in stature during his two-year long loan spell, and his tight dribbling technique would give Ayling plenty to worry about at right-back.
Patrick Bamford may well have improved his physicality this season and offered a focal point for Leeds to play through, but the stark Kyle Bartley would undoubtedly give him a major problem in this clash. Perhaps he would have more joy playing off Pontus Jansson.
The prodigious Ronaldo Vieira, meanwhile, would have a difficult job containing the more experienced and relentless Mateusz Klich, providing an energetic clash in the midfield.
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Star players
Pablo Hernandez is an outstanding member of both these sides, keeping his place in the team three years after he scored six goals and provided eight assists under Monk. Chris Wood, meanwhile, was the club’s talisman in the 16/17 season, notching 27 goals in 44 Championship appearances before joining Burnley the following summer.
From today’s crop, and in addition to Hernandez, Kalvin Phillips is the jewel in the club’s crown. At the base of the midfield the 23-year-old has been affectionately dubbed the Yorkshire Pirlo and has been touted for an England call-up.
If Leeds don’t win promotion this season there’s little doubt they’ll be hard pressed to keep him at Elland Road.
Final result
One of the most revered managers in world football would fancy his chances against Monk’s side, but a lesson from Leeds’ season so far points towards a potential weak spot.
They have conceded 11 goals from set-pieces in the Championship this season, while they have also won the least number of aerial duels per game in the entire division.
That pair of statistics illustrates their vulnerability in the air, and the towering Wood, who has scored 11 headed goals since joining the Clarets, could be the man to capitalise.
However, on balance, it would be fair to say that Biesla’s side would be the favourites to clinch the winning result given their 3rd place finish in 2018/19 and the current Championship standings.
Where’s that simulator, anyone?