Leeds United at Bristol City: Three Talking Points from the 3–0 Win
Leeds got back to winning ways with a dominating performance at Ashton Gate.
The game on Saturday was a must-win for Leeds after a difficult few weeks. However, because of the start that Bristol City had made to the season, I feared (and expected) that the losing streak may continue.
What occurred was unbelievable to watch: Leeds put on an away masterclass and made a strong Bristol City side look very poor. The lads gave us everything and reminded us all of the quality we have in this squad as we climbed back up to 4th in the Championship table.
Here are our three main talking points from the game...
Ronaldo Vieira’s inclusion made a massive difference
The only real criticism of Thomas Christiansen so far has been the constant exclusion of Ronaldo Vieira. Whether from injury or lack of perceived talent, his absence has been a sticking point for many Leeds fans.
But the young midfielder is a wonderful talent and he showed us all on Saturday his quality. At times this season, we have lacked a physical presence in the centre of midfield and have been over run the central area. On Saturday, Vieira added that physical presence, allowing Phillips and O’Kane to get further up the field and express themselves.
Phillips had become a little isolated over the last few games and became increasingly ineffective. The balance added with the inclusion of Vieira meant Phillips flourished playing at number 10.
Vieira’s ability to control and dictate the play gives us the dimension we need to be challenging throughout the season, and I hope to see him become a more regular fixture in the XI.
Constantly pressing
One of the main features of Leeds United’s game in the early stages of the season was high pressing when the opposition were on the ball. For whatever reason, this approach disappeared over the last month… until Saturday.
Bristol have started the season really well and have been solid at Ashton Gate but we never allowed them to settle; every time they had the ball we were straight on top of them, suffocating their flow.
A big part of success in the Championship is the need to be intimidating to the opposition, and that is exactly what we were on Saturday. It meant we had won the game in the early stages of the match.
Link up between the midfield and attack was top class
Saiz is quickly becoming the buy of the season as he continues to rip apart defences. However, what really impressed me on Saturday was his link up play with Alioski and Lasogga.
The interplay between the three men was wonderful to watch: Lasogga has looked a little flat at times over the last few weeks but had that sharpness back which has made him a threat in early September.
If the attacking players can find a way to sustain that level of performance and grow to understand even further, we will be in for a very positive season.
In the next few weeks, we have some very difficult fixtures with Sheffield United and Derby the next two league and Leicester City in the Cup. But if the lads implement the same principles as they did on Saturday, I think we will be in a good place come the 1st of November. MOT.
