Former Leeds United defender Dominic Matteo has insisted Marcelo Bielsa and his players have installed a mental toughness into their game which had been lacking in recent years.
The Whites are on the cusp of promotion to the Premier League with three league matches remaining.
Having fallen short at the final hurdle last term, both for automatic promotion and then the play-offs against Derby County, Leeds accused of demonstrating a mental fragility that has plagued the club throughout the last decade.
However, despite wobbles in form and intense pressure this season, Leeds have shown a mental toughness that has put them within touching distance of promotion.
With the pressure on and Brentford breathing down Leeds and West Brom's necks, Matteo has reiterated how impressed he has been with how Bielsa's side have coped with the intense pressure.
"Yeah, it's huge. Like I've mentioned it's all about characters and winning ugly at times if you need to," Matteo told LUTV ahead of Sunday's 1-0 win over Swansea City.
"Getting those results over the line, that's one thing I've always said with Leeds, we've probably struggled with that for a good few years is that mental strength and I think it's come back in abundance.
"We've got a great group of players, I've met a few of them a couple of times and the attitude and dedication seems spot on. That's what you want.
"When you're playing for a team, if everyone is giving everything, you can buy into that straight away and I think they have all done that.
"They've all done a fantastic job of buying into it, especially during this tough time in the world with what's happened. Leeds have been a credit in the way they have performed, they have led by example going forward."
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