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Elliott Jackson

Leeds United's running stats under Marcelo Bielsa finally emerge and will surprise no-one

Leeds United continue to top a host of statistical charts after a successful start to their Premier League return.

Two wins sandwiched between a narrow opening day defeat to Liverpool and a well-earned draw with Manchester City have seen the Whites in the headline for all the right reasons.

Marcelo Bielsa has stuck true to the high-possession, high-energy philosophy that earned Leeds a place back in the Premier League, to the surprise of absolutely nobody.

It comes as little surprise that Leeds are already top of the running charts after four Premier League games.

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As per statistics supplied by the ever-reliable @LUFCDATA on Twitter, the Whites have covered the most ground in the division so far, averaging a whopping 115km per game.

That has seen them go toe-to-toe with the league's top two from last season.

Running data was not readily available in the Championship, so this is the first time that many of those outside Bielsa's inner circle at Thorp Arch will have seen statistics of this nature for the Argentine's Leeds side and it is little surprise that they top all-comers in the top tier of English football.

In their opening four matches, they have also made more than 100 tackles, well above any other team in the league.

Leeds have also won more tackles, an average of 18 per game, whilst also pressing their opponents more than anyone else at an average of 184 per 90 minutes.

As a result, it is again of no surprise that the Whites have the highest ball recovery numbers in the top-flight, reclaiming possession on 252 times, with Liverpool second at 246.

Leeds' fearless display against Manchester City saw them make a chart-topping 32 tackles, of which 21 of them were won, disrupting Pep Guardiola's team's passing game and earning them a deserved point and plenty of plaudits.

It was a similar story at Anfield when the Whites made a season-high 32 tackles, causing Liverpool all sorts of issues.

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