Leeds United's January blues and the trend Marcelo…

Leeds United's January blues and the trend Marcelo Bielsa's side need to buck

January can often be a tough month for most people. New Year's resolutions are quickly shelved following the excesses of the festive period, pay day takes an age to roll around and the weather rarely plays ball.

The ongoing pandemic means January 2021 is even worse than usual.

And in recent years, Leeds United fans have rarely been able to even take solace in football, as their team has developed a habit of starting the calendar year in a less than spectacular fashion.

Does no goals in three games worry Bielsa?

Marcelo Bielsa's men have spent the last week licking their wounds following a 1-0 defeat at home to Brighton & Hove Albion, which meant they kicked off 2021 with three defeats on the bounce.

Leeds now have two more games this month to turn things around, as they travel to out-of-sorts Newcastle United and Tuesday evening before taking on high-flying Leicester City on the final day of the month.

In the past four Januarys, Leeds have a win record of just 16.7 per cent, while two-thirds of their matches have ended in defeats.

This includes four successive FA Cup third round defeats and two defeats last January during what was a mid-season slump that at one point threatened to derail their promotion aspirations.

While Bielsa's meticulous nature means he is a man who is not swayed by coincidences and quirks of fate, he will no doubt be desperate to rid Leeds of their recent January blues.