We have conceded two goals in the league this season, two goals! And to make it more staggering they were both conceded on the opening days of the season. We haven’t seen the Leeds net ripple since, and in all honesty we haven’t seen much chance of that happening with the defensive unit in front flourishing.
So what’s changed?
Return of Pontus Jansson
Jansson has come back into the side after the opening game and we haven’t let in a goal since. That is an unbelievable statistic for the Swedish centre-back who seems to be loving Leeds life more than ever. Alongside Liam Cooper the defence looks stronger than it did with Jansson and Kyle Bartley, who would have thought that. Last night Jansson was a machine in the centre of the defence and headed everything out of the Leeds area. Leeds paid Torino £3.5 million for the players…incredible.
Rise of the new skipper
Liam Cooper has been like a new signing at the football club and is flourishing in his new role as the captain of Leeds United. He is everything you would want in a captain on the pitch which I would have said before the season and has been flawless defensively this season. What a turnaround for the player who many thought would be playing second string this season, and his new four-year-deal looks like a wonderful piece of business. So impressed, and delighted to be proved wrong, like so many Leeds fans.
The AA
Luke Ayling and Vurnon Anita have been solid so far this season. Both have had dodgy moments but both have played the majority of the games that have led to the 6 clean sheets. Ayling has been even better this season that he was last and that is quite hard to believe after the season he had. Anita has been steady at the back and although he struggled a bit last night he has been consistent. Cameron Borthwick-Jackson and Gaetano Berardi have also contributed.
Thomas Christiansen
In terms of making a team solid Christiansen has done it very well, and very fast. He has worked wonders with the full team but he has the team defending from the front taking pressure of the defenders and making sure when they do have to deal with the opposition front-line they aren’t ever overwhelmed. The midfield and forwards work very hard, O’Kane and Phillips positioning themselves in the right areas to plug gaps and the work-rate higher than we’ve seen in many years.
Leeds have had the best start to a season in a very long time and there are many reasons for that. Thomas Christiansen, Victor Orta and of course Andrea Radrizzani have played huge roles, and the defenders wearing the Leeds United shirt have been crucial in the points and performances racked up so far. Five wins and two draws from seven league games, plus two League Cup wins is an incredible start and long may it continue. To the New Den on Saturday.
