Leeds United have had a reasonably strong start to the Championship season and are just where they should be, in the thick of the race for the top two.
If Manor Solomon hadn’t slipped against Burnley, Leeds had grabbed their chances against Portsmouth, and Illan Meslier hadn’t made a mistake against Sunderland, Daniel Farke’s side might be in first place.
However, following Friday night’s fantastic 2-0 win over Sheffield United, Leeds are now in third place. On 69 minutes, Joe Rothwell and Pascal Struijk broke Leeds’ eight-month drought of not scoring from a corner.
A set-piece routine that Farke said Rothwell had worked on. Mateo Joseph scored late in the game after coming on as a substitute, and the Spain striker had the highest XG of the match despite being a sub for Leeds.
Leeds United picked up their sixth clean sheet in ten league outings.
On Friday night, Illan Meslier scored a spectacular victory, but it was a pivotal moment for him. While largely unconcerned, he will have been pleased to maintain a clean sheet following his error against Sunderland before to the October break.
Following the win against Sheffield United, Leeds have faced 72 shots in 10 games, according to Opta’s stat guy and Leeds fan Jonny Cooper on X. This is the greatest Championship record since 2013-14.
“In ten Championship games this season, Leeds have faced only 72 shots. Since Opta began compiling Championship shot data in 2013-14, 7.2 shots faced per game has been the lowest ratio by a team in a season.”
Joe Rodon and Pascal Struijk’s stats are vital to Leeds’ record.
One difference from last season is that the two holding midfielders in front of the centre-backs are much more reliable. Whether it’s Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev, or Joe Rothwell and Ao Tanaka.
One difference from previous season is the number of passes between the two centre-backs. Farke has definitely desired more control over games this season, and maintaining possession is an important part of that.
Championship’s top-five passers this season:
| Name | Club | Appearances | Total passes | Short | Long | Misplaced passes |
| Pascal Struijk | Leeds | 10 | 874 | 823 | 51 | 69 |
| Matt Grimes | Swansea | 10 | 837 | 782 | 55 | 62 |
| Hayden Hackney | Middlesbrough | 10 | 814 | 725 | 89 | 122 |
| Ben Cabango | Swansea | 10 | 801 | 724 | 77 | 102 |
| Joe Rodon | Leeds | 10 | 787 | 742 | 45 | 68 |
Keeping the ball and remaining patient in defence, with Struijk and Rodon rarely going long and misplacing fewer than a tenth of their overall passes, is critical to Leeds’ ability to prevent opposition.
