Leeds United have been the hardest running team in world football so far this season.
The Whites have been renowned for their fitness levels since the appointment of Marcelo Bielsa in 2018 and despite their difficult start to the new campaign, it has not been down to a drop off in running intensity.
The CIES Football Observatory Weekly Post analysed the data produced by SkillCorner to unveil the average sprinting (>7.0 m/s or 25.2 km/h) distance per team in 27 leagues worldwide.
492 teams across the footballing world were surveyed but only five of them averaged sprints of over two kilometers per match.
And Leeds are the side who top that pile. The Whites average 2.23km of sprints per game so far this season, with Swiss outfit Young Boys in second with 2.21km.
In fact, Leeds are the only club from the Premier League who are in the top 20 of the list.
This is a continuation of the effort levels that they were putting in last term, too, although they were seeing far more rewards for their hard work than they are at the moment.
Leeds outran their opponents in 37 of the 38 Premier League matches, with their 2-1 win away at Manchester City the only game where it didn’t happen.
This was down to the fact Liam Cooper was sent off just before the break, meaning that Leeds were made to play over half a match with ten men. It was the only game in the season where they picked up a red card.
Bielsa will be hoping that their results begin to reflect the level of effort they are continuing to put in.
