LEEDS are the Premier League’s hardest workers and top tacklers, according to the stats.
Marcelo Bielsa‘s side have been arguably the most-entertaining team in the league this season.
On the opening day of the season, they nearly sprung a shock on champions Liverpool, ultimately slipping to a thrilling 4-3 defeat.
They followed that up with a 4-3 win over Fulham in another goal-fest.
Leeds then beat Sheffield United 1-0 before securing a deserved 1-1 draw against Manchester City.
The Elland Road side currently sit eighth after four games, with their work-rate plain to see.
Bielsa’s side are convincingly the Premier League’s top workers on the defensive end.
Leeds rank No1 in a number of categories, including most tackles in a single match, most tackles made this season, most recoveries, most blocks and most presses.
The Yorkshire side made 32 tackles to help secure a point against former champions Man City.
Their tally for the season is already a sky-high 105 – an average of 26.3 per game.
But it’s not just in the tackle Leeds are excelling having also recovered possession on the defensive end a staggering 252 times, including 27 blocks.
And that is down to their hard-pressing, high-intensity running style – accounting for 184 presses PER GAME… over two per minute this season.
However, despite leading the league in a host of defensive stats, this does NOT mean Leeds are playing defensively this season.
In fact, their volume of tackles suggests more they are attacking too much.
After all, as legendary defender Paolo Maldini said: “If you have to tackle, you’ve already made a mistake.”
However, it is impressive how committed Leeds are to winning back the ball and starting another attack.
They’re averaging an impressive 2.5 goals scored per game, while conceding exactly two per match.
Bielsa’s hardly parking the bus… you love to see it.
