Leeds United have started their first Premier League season in 16 years excellently. Marcelo Bielsa’s men are sitting pretty in 8th place, with seven points in tow – 33 away from the golden 40-point mark which typically signals top flight safety.
Two wins, one defeat and a draw is how Leeds have begun the campaign and a similar showing over their next four games would be received brilliantly by the Whites’ support.
Tough tests against Wolves, Aston Villa, Leicester City and Crystal Palace are ahead before the next international break in the division where there are no easy fixtures.
Next up for Bielsa's side is an Elland Road clash against Nuno Espirito Santo’s Wolves.
Wolverhampton Wanderers' dual threat
Hélder Costa is likely to face off against his former employers for the first time since his move to West Yorkshire was made permanent this summer. He and his teammates will need to be wary of Wanderers’ Mexican striker Raúl Jiménez who has been one of the Premier League’s sharpest forwards over the past two seasons.
Jiménez is an elite-level finisher and has become notorious for converting high-value opportunities from inside the penalty area, which is easier said than done on a consistent basis. Leeds will need to limit his influence in the final third, as despite a two-game barren spell, Jiménez has four goals in his last eight league outings.
Bustling wide-man Adama Traoré will also need to be watched, as the rapid right-winger was one of Wolves’ best creators last season. Stuart Dallas has done fine work in the left-back position over the past year, but may need Jack Harrison in front of his to help with defensive duties.
Aston Villa's post-Liverpool swagger
Fresh from a 7-2 demolition of Premier League champions Liverpool, Aston Villa will be no pushovers at Villa Park on October 24th. Leeds may have eyed this one as their most winnable fixture of their next four, owing to Villa’s poor end-of-season form last year. However, this campaign has got off to a rousing start for the Midlands club with three consecutive wins and a positive goal difference of nine.
The introduction of Ross Barkley appears to have lifted the creative burden placed upon Jack Grealish, and the England duo could thrive if they can build on the partnership forged against Liverpool. Ollie Watkins also pitched in with a hat-trick against the Reds and he is a competitor Leeds know all too well from their clashes with Brentford in the second tier.
Nevertheless, the 24-year-old hasn’t found the back of the net against Leeds in the last three seasons and Whites captain Liam Cooper will hope to keep it that way. His movement between lines, interplay with Grealish and penalty box nous will all need to be kept under a watchful eye when the two sides take to the field.
Leicester City and Jamie Vardy
This fixture looks to be Leeds’ most difficult of the next month or so, with Brendan Rodgers’ side in fine goalscoring form prior to their defeat against West Ham last weekend. The Foxes are an unpredictable foe, due to their trump card Jamie Vardy. Even in matches where he is scarcely involved, Vardy can pounce at any moment, as he did against Manchester City as Leicester dispatched Pep Guardiola’s men 5-2.
Leicester are the league’s joint-top scorers along with Everton and Spurs. Harvey Barnes is partially responsible for that, and should be classed as just as much of a threat as frontman Vardy. Despite scoring fewer than the England striker, Barnes has registered seven shots on target this season, a figure only Michail Antonio, Harry Kane and Dominic Calvert-Lewin can better at present.
Crystal Palace's counter threat
If Leeds somehow manage to come through their next three games unscathed, they face another tough test with a trip to Selhurst Park. Their defeat of Manchester United in the second round of fixtures showed just how capable they were at absorbing pressure and breaking on the counter, which should be of some consideration to Leeds who may see this game as an opportunity to dominate the ball.
The triple threat of Wilfried Zaha, Jordan Ayew and Andros Townsend must not be underestimated either, as all three bring something different. Zaha, as has come to be expected, is tricky for defenders to deal with in one-v-one situations, while Townsend is more than capable of creating opportunities for his teammates.
Perhaps flying somewhat under the radar is Ayew who is one of the league’s hardest-working attackers. He ranks amongst the likes of Kalvin Phillips, Matesuz Klich and Mohamed Salah for most successful pressures in the Premier League this season, so will give Leeds’ ball-playing centre-halves little breathing room.
If that wasn’t enough, Palace also have the mercurial Ebere Eze to call upon from the bench, who can be just as unpredictable as Zaha.
