Marcelo Bielsa track record bodes well for Leeds United
There’s strong reason to believe the current layoff in the English Championship will eventually serve Leeds United well once the season gets back up and running.
Marcelo Bielsa boasts a track record of starting strongly after prolonged breaks, illustrated by Leeds’ five wins and three draws from the opening eight fixtures of last season and just one defeat from the opening eight fixtures of this one.
“When you look back at how we’ve started the seasons, after pre-season, we’ve started really well,” Stuart Dallas explained last week when asked about the restart, admitting that there is an awareness within the Elland Road dressing room of this strong record.
“If we start back as well as that we’ll be in a good position, but I’m sure other teams are probably doing the same, keeping on top of it.
“I don’t know when it starts back how long we’ll have back training before the season does start, or if it starts, I don’t know. We’re keeping on top of it, as fit as we can, so when we are allowed to return to training it’ll be all ball work.”
Dutch FA decision that will worry Leeds United
Ajax have been denied the Eredivisie title after the Dutch FA decided to null the 2019/20 season, confirming that there will be two teams crowned champions or relegated from the division due to the global coronavirus pandemic.
The precedent set by this decision will concern Leeds United, with the Elland Road side currently sitting top of the Championship table on course for a long-awaited return to the Premier League.
While some leagues across European have edged towards calling their seasons early, crowning champions on the basis of the way the tables looked before the shutdown, the Netherlands has taken a different approach.
As things stand, the Premier League and EFL remain committed to completing the 2019/20 season with UEFA also intent on playing out the Champions League and Europa League when possible.
Barry Douglas reveals players’ feelings on prospect of closed-door games
Leeds United full back Barry Douglas has spoken about the prospect of playing behind closed doors, drawing on his past experiences of playing in sparsely populated stadiums.
The 30-year-old admitted that playing without fans in the stands, as has been mooted as a solution to the coronavirus shutdown of English and European football, but has experienced similar before.
“I played plenty of games behind closed doors in Poland and Turkey with the fans getting banned,” he said.
“It won’t be a new experience for me, but it’s a difficult atmosphere when there’s no fans because there’s no atmosphere. It’s hard, you need that bit of energy to help keep you going and push you on, so it will be a surreal moment if it does come to that.”
