iIt won't have escaped the attention of Leeds United fans that Huddersfield Town chairman Phil Hodgkinson claimed the Terriers have better players than the Whites.
Hodgkinson, who owns 75 per cent of the club, recently appeared in a podcast where he discussed Town's current financial situation, how the coronavirus pandemic has affected the Terriers and more.
During the 'And He Takes That Chance' podcast, Hodgkinson stated that he believes that members of Danny Cowley’s current squad are better than members of Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds side - a side that currently sit at the top of the Championship.
Hodgkinson said: "When we got promoted we got promoted because we had a manager who had a system that was better than the players we had, which is what is happening at Leeds.
“Bielsa's way of playing [is better than that squad].
"If you look at that Leeds game ( Leeds beat Huddersfield 2-0 earlier this month), if you cut those two squads together, I would not say, in my personal opinion, that Leeds have got better players than us barring one or two.
"I believe we've got better players in most positions.”
However, despite Hodgkinson’s verdict, there are currently 17 league positions and 29 Championship points separating the two sides.
To look into the debate further, we used statistics from WhoScored.com to see how the two sides compare.
Based on their average match rating in the Championship this season (scored out of 10), Karlan Grant (6.93) has been Town’s best player this term, but only ranks 69 th in the entire division.
However, seven Leeds players sit in the top 68, with Luke Ayling (7.31), Kalvin Phillips (7.20), Pablo Hernandez (7.19), Liam Cooper (7.09), Ben White (7.05), Jack Harrison (7.04) and Mateusz Klich (6.96) all ranking higher than Grant.
In league matches, the Terriers have had an average team match rating of 6.61 out of 10, the second lowest in the entire division this season.
Leeds’ average of 6.84 has made them the most consistent side in the Championship.
In assists, Jack Harrison is Leeds’ most creative player this season and has chipped in with seven assists - two more than the Terriers’ Juninho Bacuna.
The statistics and the league table from this season suggest that Leeds have dominated when you compare the two sides as Bielsa’s side continue dreaming of a Premier League return.
