Roberts laughs off pundit jibes with facts to back up Leeds progression
Forward Tyler Roberts admits he is at a loss as to why people thought Leeds United will crumble towards the end of the season due to their style of play.
The Whites have enjoyed an excellent return to the Premier League after 16 years away from the limelight. Marcelo Bielsa’s men sit comfortably in mid table and have already secured their place in the top flight for next season.
The Elland Road outfit have picked up 14 wins and five draws this term and have a creditable 47 points. They have never gone more than three games without a win and won plaudits for their displays.
Bielsa has drilled his charges to play an all-out style of football, with an intense work ethic. And that has prompted a few pundits to question whether it is sustainable throughout 38 games.
Former Tottenham and Aston Villa manager Tim Sherwood suggested Leeds could ‘burn out’ because of their work rate off the ball. But, as the season end approaches, they have won three and drawn two of their last six matches.
And Roberts has now had his say, offering a rebuttal to suggestions of fatigue setting in.
“That’s been something that’s happened over the last few years,” he told Amazon Prime Video. “People think we’re going to fade away towards the end of the season and I don’t get it this year, because we showed last season that we pushed on even more and it’s showing again this season.
“It’s credit to the boys and our fitness.”
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Bielsa ups the ante for next season
They way that the Argentinian tactician has got Leeds playing in 2020-21 means fans will expect even more in the future. Victories over Manchester City and Leicester City proved that the Yorkshire side can compete with the best.
The challenge now is to replicate that success and ensure the club becomes established in the Premier League. And former Leeds goalkeeper Paul Robinson recognises the dilemma facing Bielsa and his staff.
“It’s been an incredible season, all told,” he told Amazon Prime Video. “The problem they have now is with success comes expectation, so people will expect them to now push on to the European places.
“I think the most important thing for Leeds this year was stability and to establish themselves back in the Premier League.”
“The job that the manager has done, he’s taken a mid-table Championship team to Championship winners and they now look like a Premier League team.”
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