League titles are never won in August. Yet just two matches into the Championship season, a series of eager bookmakers have already installed Leeds United as the new title favourites following consecutive victories over promotion rivals Stoke City and Derby County.

Bielsa’s Leeds have been propelled into the spotlight of the world’s media, such has been the intensity and quality of football being played by his new side. One of modern football’s greatest visionaries has transmitted his ambitious style of play to his players, and they have responded by bringing his extraordinary style of play to life in the second tier of English football.

The Whites have managed to capture the attention of football journalists and hipsters across the world, but far more importantly have set the tone for the rest of the Championship. The legendary head coach is not remotely interested in making any seasonal predictions despite his side’s dismantling of The Potters 3-1 in their opening game of the season, and having dispatched with Derby County with an incredible performance in their 4-1 victory at Pride Park. Instead, the former Athletic Bilbao manager was keen to point out that only "five per cent of the Championship" season has been played.

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A video of Leeds’ build up play from the back during their scintillating win at Derby went viral on social media, and has since sparked a flurry of interest in Bielsa’s recent transformation of the Elland Road outfit.

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Gary Rowett, Frank Lampard and their respective staff were fully aware of the threat Leeds were going to pose before their encounters, but were powerless to prevent being outbattled by dominant displays of ferocious intensity from Bielsa’s slick unit.

It has been a fairly long time since LS11 has seen such an electric brand of football. Leeds fans were treated to a promising first few weeks of Thomas Christiansen’s reign last season before the club’s form deserted them. A 5-0 dismantling of Burton Albion last September being particularly memorable. Before that, you would have to go back to Simon Grayson’s tenure to fairly label Leeds as an entertaining Championship side capable of playing liquid football.

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The former Argentina and Chile boss has rejuvenated a squad of players bereft of confidence following a season in which the Whites finished 13th in the division. It is hard to believe that Leeds’ starting line up at Derby consisted of ten players who featured heavily in a campaign which reaped just 4 wins from their 23 league matches in 2018.

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Yet Bielsa’s track record, alongside the legion of world renowned manager references that hold him in such high regard, will remind you that he a specialist in dramatically improving players and making them better footballers and people.

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Since the Argentine was appointed in mid-June, the 63-year-old and his coaching staff have meticulously drilled their players into shape with an intensive amount of fitness work, tactical sessions and video analysis which included learning how Manchester City, Barcelona and Bayern Munich each play out from the back.

The former Marseille boss constructed a plan of action which consisted of double-session training sessions between 9am and 7pm, as well as ensuring the players stayed in accommodation within close proximity of Thorp Arch during pre-season. Training has since been trimmed and toned down, but the defining principles of Bielsa’s style of play very much remain.

The early signs have been incredibly promising, with Leeds taking maximum points from their opening two Championship games and outscoring every other side in the division with 7 goals. The Whites also oversaw the challenge of Phil Parkinson’s Bolton Wanderers side with a 2-1 victory at Elland Road in the Carabao Cup first round.

So what traits can we identify from the style of football Bielsa has introduced at Leeds already?

High Pressing

The most well documented characteristic of Bielsa’s philosophy is the high press.

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It involves playing expressive, offensive football that forces opponents to surrender possession as quickly as possible. The Professor has always adhered a “running is everything” philosophy, and his Leeds side have shown a dramatic increase in the intensity at which they play both with and without the ball. El Loco’s side have adopted a high intensity zonal press which begins from the front with Kemar Roofe. The primary objective of the high press is to limit the amount of time and space allowed to opponents, with the aim of turning over possession as quickly and as high up the pitch as possible.

Leeds’ centre-forward is the first line of the press, which Kemar Roofe has excelled at with a high work rate. The secondary press involves Gjanni Alioski, Samu Saiz and Pablo Hernandez collectively involved in harassment and suffocating the space in front of them. We have also seen Mateusz Klich and Kalvin Phillips press intensely and involved in the closing down both Stoke and Derby higher up the pitch, forcing individual errors and only allowing their opponents limited opportunities to play the ball out from the back.

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Against Derby [shown above], we saw instances of players such as centre-back Curtis Davies put under pressure from up to four Leeds players at one time in Roofe, Alioski, Klich and Saiz, deep inside his defensive third. This is exactly how Bielsa expects his players to operate.

On multiple occasions the hosts were unable to successfully break through the lines into the final third from playing out from goalkeeper Scott Carson. We also saw several phases of play in which Derby were so heavily pressed that they were forced to play the ball back to their goalkeeper with it being the only safe option.

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Bielsa’s Leeds have two types of pressing - the one-man press which we’ve seen from Roofe and the wide players Alioski and Hernandez. Depending on which area the opposition decide the play, the Leeds players furthest away from the ball will drop back into position and will ideally try to form three banks of defensive lines in a 4-5-1 set-up.

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The second type of pressure is collective pressing in packs. This was seen against both Stoke and Derby, where up to five players will close down one or two opponents at speed to try and enforce a turnover. Both Klich and Phillips have been successful in winning possession in the middle to final thirds of the pitch. The group press is in stark contrast how Leeds operated under Paul Heckingbottom last season, where one or two players would close down an opposition player, but maintaining the shape of the team out possession remained the priority.

Leeds successfully minimised the amount of time Stoke and Derby had possession, particularly during the first half in both games. The obvious issue will whether the Whites will be able to maintain that same level of intensity for the entirety of a 90-minute match, let alone the duration of a 46-game campaign. There were signs against Derby and Bolton that they took the foot of the accelerator from the 60th minute onwards. Leeds enjoyed 58% possession in the first half at Derby, but only held a 50% share of the ball after the break.

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The tertiary press is triggered when the opposition approach Leeds' defensive third of the pitch. This is where we have seen Kalvin Phillips and Mateusz Klich come into their own, winning individual duels and hoovering up danger in front of the back four.

The ferocious level of intensity and advanced set of positions Bielsa's players have adopted have seen both Stoke and Derby attempt to hit Leeds on the counter attack and expose them down the channels, aiming to take advantage of the advanced full-backs which have driven forward to assist in attacking phases.

This is where full-backs Barry Douglas and Luke Ayling have been integral at closing down opponents down both channels. Douglas and Ayling have excelled at ensuring the system works successfully, covering vast distances both with and without the ball and assisting in both attacking and defensive phases. The Leeds back line in general, consisting of Douglas, Cooper, Berardi and Ayling, have performed exceptionally well having adopted a high line and without possessing a huge amount of pace or height. Pontus Jansson will also slot into the back four once he is fully match fit to replace Berardi.

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Luke Ayling has been exceptional at winning duels both in the air and on the turf and turning over possession. The 26-year-old has made 18.1 defensive actions per game this season, more than any other player in the squad. The former Bristol City full-back has also displayed leadership qualities and organisation skills in dead ball situations, positive character traits which have helped propel him into becoming the club’s deputy captain behind Liam Cooper.

Bielsa’s Enganche or number 10, Samu Saiz, was also contributing to Leeds’ high press, chasing and harassing Derby’s back four. There was one moment in the 45th minute at Pride Park where Saiz darted 30-yards to make an outstanding interception to steal the ball back in from of the back four. This was the first time Saiz had made such a significant defensive contribution in a fair while, and earned a deserved round of applause from the travelling support for his troubles.

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Mateusz Klich has been the standout revelation for Leeds so far, having returned from a loan spell in the Eredivisie with FC Utrecht following a fallout with former head coach Thomas Christiansen and a costly slip up at Cardiff City.

The Polish midfielder is a natural box-to-box athlete, pressing, shielding opponents off the ball, winning the ball back, and spraying passes to teammates in the opposition half. The 28-year-old has been a key part of Leeds’ primary and secondary press, and has predominantly operated in the opposition half under Bielsa (70% of Klich’s total touches against Derby were made in the opposition half).

His energy and quality on the ball has shone through in the opening two league matches, and will pose a genuine selection headache for Bielsa once Adam Forshaw returns next month from ankle ligament damage suffered during pre-season.

Bielsa’s high pressing game does of course come with a risk. Such a high stakes strategy will come unstuck this season. If a player is caught on the ball, or if any of the back line are caught out of position, there would be plenty of space in behind the likes of Liam Cooper, Gaetano Berardi and Pontus Jansson to be exploited by opponents with pace.

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Bielsa knows that maintaining the same level of intensity and pressing from his squad will be the biggest challenge the club will face, and that maintaining momentum and minimising fatigue will a monumental challenge in order to sustain the club’s seasonal objective of a top-six finish.

Rapid Transitions and Counter Attacking

Fast transitions are an integral component of Bielsa's philosophy. The Argentine wants his side to be the protagonists in each game, turning over possession as fast and as high up the pitch as possible. His style of play ensures his players maximise the amount of touches they make in the final third.

The 63-year-old cares very little for defending, which is ironic given the fact he used to play as a defender for Newell's Old Boys' First Division Team. Instead, there is a constant emphasis on attacking with the ball, and winning back the ball out of possession.

When Leeds make a successful transition, the player who has won the ball will move the ball forward as quickly as possible to take full advantage of that passage of play. Bielsa has tasked his centre-backs and full-backs with playing the ball forwards wherever possible, but not at the expense of losing possession. When Leeds do get on the ball, they invariably look towards their Spanish number 10 (actually shirt number 14) to to act as the catalyst to spark attacking phases.

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The Madrid-born playmaker is undoubtedly talented, arguably too good for this division when at his very best, and a player who is able to find pockets of space where there really shouldn't be. Saiz is as good on the ball as is he at finding areas in which to operate without it, and comes into his element when he has space in front of him in which to run at defenders.

Leeds has so far displayed an extraordinary amount of movement off the ball in their first three games. Players have covered huge swathes of ground to close to space or to drift into areas undetected to receive the ball. Leeds’ midfield players have so far appeared extremely comfortable at picking up possession in tightly marked areas before laying it off to fellow teammates.

Standout moments such as Pablo Hernandez’s incredible work rate to get to the byline and curl the ball back for Alioski for Leeds’ fourth goal against Derby. Samu Saiz also displayed an unexpectedly brilliant defensive contribution when he tracked back 40 yards to win possession back for his teammates at Derby with a crucial interception in front of the back line at the end of the first half.

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He teases them like a Matador with a bull, only the ball is his red flag, and he manipulates it with both feet and a low centre of gravity. After a frustrating start to 2018 and discipline issues, the 27-year-old has already scored 1 goal and registered 2 assists in 3 games and looks to have returned to his scintillating best.

Despite the short time frame of adapting to fast transitions, Leeds have already scored from a number of fast moves having stolen possession and marched up the other end of the pitch to take full advantage. Leeds completed just 3 passes between Pontus Jansson, Samu Saiz and Patrick Bamford before the later struck his first goal for the club against Bolton in the Carabao Cup.

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Mateusz Klich’s goal against Derby also took just 14 seconds between winning possession and the Polish midfielder finding the net. There were also just 8 seconds between Barry Douglas winning back possession, Gjanni Alioski’s crossed assist and Kemar Roofe's superb headed goal in the first half at Derby. The Whites are deliberating picking off their opponents and tearing their defensive walls apart at blistering speeds.

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What makes Leeds’ counter attacking football so effective is the amount of numbers they are managing to drive forward into the final third. Packs of four of five players are advancing forward at pace, forcing overloads and stretching defensive lines. Leeds are also confident enough and mixing up play and adopting a very direct style of play through the middle, using the likes of Cooper and Phillips to find Saiz or Roofe to hold the ball up and lay it off into the supporting cast of Klich, Hernandez or Alioski.

Bielsa also expects his side to use the entire width of the pitch in possession, with Douglas and Ayling having become essential cogs in the system, interchanging and dovetailing with Alioski and Hernandez down the channels and working as auxiliary midfielders with the ball.

Deliveries and the quality of balls from wide areas has also been extensively worked on during pre-season, attempting to replicate some of the movement we saw Manchester City play during their march towards the Premier League title last season, which is no mean feat.

Winning Individual Duels

Leeds are no longer the passive pushovers of last season, allowing opponents to walk through them, and even brush them out of the way to score in the case of Sheffield United’s previous trip to Elland Road. Bielsa’s Leeds have flexed their muscles and have won more overall duels against promotion rivals Stoke and Derby. Having overwhelmed both sides, they’ve been physically dominant with the amount of tackles won and turnovers made.

Leeds have yet to concede a single goal from open play (2 set-pieces) after two Championship games, and are making life difficult for their opponents with a combination of outmuscling and suffocating their counterparts with pressure.

As expected, Leeds’ high pressing game combined with a volume of turnovers sees Leeds rank third with total ball recoveries in the division (106) behind Ipswich (119) and Bristol City (109). Leeds are rank fourth-highest for the most challenges made in the Championship with 249.

Leeds fans have seen their side winning individual battles across the pitch, but none more so than wing-back pairing Luke Ayling and Barry Douglas. The Whites duo are the highest ranking full-back pairing for tackles won in the Championship in 2018/19 (Ayling (9) and Barry Douglas (8). Former Bristol City defender Ayling has also made 18.1 successful defensive actions per 90 for the club this season, more than any Leeds player. The former Arsenal academy player has also won 22 aerial duels, 8 more than any other player at the club.

Leeds have won 43 tackles so far, only Nottingham Forest have won more in the division. This is an important statistic because of the way Leeds have set-up so openly, there is a necessity to steal back possession to protect themselves defensively. It’s early days but Bielsa’s Leeds appear to be up for fight to play the role of the protagonists that Bielsa is so eager to see.

Club captain Liam Cooper has put in two colossal performances at centre-back, leading by example and making the most interceptions (5) and clearances (16) for the Whites. He came in for a fair amount of criticism last season and was sent off twice, but has hardly put a foot wrong in the first two games and made an average of 12.1 successful defensive actions per 90, the second-highest average at the club, and against strong opposition.

Fluidity, Positioning and Shape

Bielsa’s Leeds side are now operating with efficiency and fluidity, regularly interchanging positions in a constantly morphing their set up. On paper, Leeds have adopted a 4-1-4-1 formation, with Kalvin Phillips acting as the anchoring defensive midfielder that drops deeper to operate as a third centre-back.

One of Bielsa’s defensive ideals is to always have one more spare defender than the opposition’s front line. Phillips has swapped roles with centre-back Liam Cooper when he is positioned further forward, ensuring there is always one spare man covering player at the back.

Wing-back pairing Douglas and Ayling pairing are expected to work the hardest in Bielsa’s system, defending, tracking back, underlapping and pushing forward into midfield, creating attacking phases with fluid movement and interchanges. Roofe has also swapped roles with Gjanni Alioski (as shown below), dragging his marker out wide to create space, before returning to his central forward role. The fluidity of Leeds’ system allows the likes of Klich, Saiz and Hernandez to swap positions and form triangular passing and movement patterns to advance further up the pitch.

The Leeds squad have been put through their passes and heavily drilled with passing and movement routines, with players switches positions and striving to find space. There is an emphasis on movement when a player inherits possession, which acts as a trigger for teammates within range to move into positions to receive the ball. Triangular sequence patterns of passing have been evident already. We have also seen a large number of players being committed to advancing forward into the final third in both open play and at set plays.

Bielsa’s players are stretching opponents, creating pockets of space and looking to expose gaps in between the lines in order to make forward passes. His side are consistently looking to create overloads in wide areas and outnumber the opposition and create chances.

The fluidity and constant movement of players at pace places an enormous strain on fitness levels, and the continued success of Bielsa’s style of play will rely upon athletic individuals such as Kalvin Phillips, Gjanni Alioski and Samu Saiz and a meticulous post-game recovery plan. There has been a vast improvement in the quality of passing and decision making from this group of players, visibly buoyed and confident enough at carrying out their ambitious game plan.

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Bielsa’s coaching staff have also worked extensively hard at preparing set-pieces. The recruitment of players like Barry Douglas, the Championship’s leading assist maker since the start of last season (15), was both an inspired stroke of fortune and genius, but the frenetic movement of five players driving towards the six-yard box from different starting positions, was enough to cause organisational chaos inside Stoke’s penalty area and allowed Liam Cooper to power home Leeds’ third goal of the afternoon and restore their two-goal cushion.

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Fast Passing and Quality of Distribution

Leeds have already adapted to playing vertical football under Bielsa, which is essentially shifting the ball at pace from the back line to the final third as quickly as possible without resorting to playing long aerial balls forward. The club’s passing accuracy has improved despite playing a larger share of more riskier balls forward, up to 73.6% from 72.8% last season.

Bielsa wants his players to retain possession and maintain an ideal distance of no more than 25 metres between the deepest centre-back and most advanced centre-forward.

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A combination of triangular passing and movement combined with direct, vertical football has helped Leeds cut through both Stoke and Derby. Passes are being played at a faster tempo, but the players have shown enough confidence in possession so far to pull off intricate passes in tight spaces and sharp movements to create spaces.

Leeds' ball retention in the final third has also been very impressive. One of the most impressive passages of play so far was a 12-pass sequence against Derby in the first half, which maintained possession for Leeds for a total of 32 seconds and involved 8 different players.

Pablo Hernandez has completed 84.6% of his passes, and Mateusz Klich has an 81.8% pass completion rate after two games. Samu Saiz is the focal point of Leeds' counter attacks, driving into space and confident enough at taking on defenders and creating chances.

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Barry Douglas, a £3m signing and Championship winner from Wolves, leads the distribution charts at the club with an impressive 84.5% pass accuracy. The Scot is closely followed by Kalvin Phillips with 81.2% and Mateusz Klich with 77%.

Chances Created and Goal Attempts

The style of play Bielsa has implemented at the club allows the players more opportunity to maximise the amount of touches made in the final third of the pitch and to create regular goalscoring opportunities. The Whites have scored more goals (7) than any other Championship side this season, and are in the top two for most through ball passes per game (3) alongside Wigan.

Leeds’ overall attacking game has significantly improved on last season’s showing, with the club displaying improvement across the board in their attacking game. The Whites have increased their shots per game (14.5), which is the 5th-highest average in the division, and up from 11.9 in 2017/18. Chances created have risen from 9.9 last campaign to 15.5. per game. Shots on-target have also increased from 3.7 to 6.1 per game. Accurate crosses have gone up to 5.0 per game (9th-highest in the division) from 3.5, and there has been a dramatic rise in goals scored per game, up to 3.5 from an extremely underwhelming 0.82 goals per game.

In terms of the balance of attacking play, 42% of attacking phases have been down the left flank, and 36% down the right side of the pitch. The blooming relationship between Douglas and Alioski down the left channel already reaping some early rewards.

Samu Saiz looks to have returned to his best form this season, with the Spanish playmaker having successfully completed 9 take-ons, only Nottingham Forest's Adlène Guédioura has completed more (10). Pablo Hernandez has also been in impressive form, creating 8 chances in Leeds' opening two league matches this season, more than any other Leeds player. The 33-year-old has continued from where he left off last season having already scored 1 goal and registered 2 assists.

Leeds’ output from wide areas was incredibly poor last season, but there have positive signs of improvement already. The introduction of Douglas was a shrewd bit of business. Since the start of last season, Barry Douglas has provided 15 assists in the Championship, more than any other player. His deliveries from wide areas and set plays could play a key role this season.

Pablo Hernandez has continues his vintage form from last season in a new role on the right side of midfield, and Gjanni Alioski looks like a player determined to prove his worth to Bielsa and his coaching staff.

Possession

Bielsa's style of play involves dominating and dictating play with the ball, being direct and fusing possession and counter attacking football to win matches. So far, Leeds have averaged 53% possession in their opening two league games this season, which ranks as the 8th-highest percentage in the division. The share is up from 50.1% last season. The Whites’ possession share has steadily increased with each game, starting with Stoke (52%), followed by Derby (54%), and most recently Bolton (57%) in the Carabao Cup.

Bielsa’s side have seen just 27% of total possession in their own defensive third, a low percentage with is attributed to playing a high line and prioritising maintaining possession inside the opponent’s half. This is a significant change from a 32% share last season, no Championship side had a larger percentage.

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Bielsa always expects his side to maintain possession but to be brave with the ball. Leeds have certainly showed that in abundance already, although are far from being the finished article. Leeds are in the top five for the most dispossessed teams in the division (30), which is to be expected having adopted such an attacking philosophy.

Right wing-back Luke Ayling has been heavily involved so far, and has enjoyed more of the ball than any other player at the club. The 26-year-old managed to make a total of 154 touches for the club this season, more than any other Leeds player. Ayling actually made the most touches for the club in both of their Championship matches this season.

Importance of Kalvin Phillips

We seriously need to talk about Kalvin Phillips. Bielsa handpicked Phillips to play the most important role in his system. Bielsa required a deep lying playmaker to sit and protect the defensive line. The role is a huge responsibility, typically held by a player of technical quality, terrific distribution and ball-winning capabilities.

Bielsa selected Phillips as the man to take on the mantle within his first weeks at the club, and spent time explaining what he expects from his deep-lying defensive midfielder/centre-back.

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Phillips is revelling in his deeper role and enjoying seeing more of the ball, but admitted he needs to work hard to make it work: “There is still work to be done because I am not a natural centre-half but I don’t actually mind it. You get a lot of the ball which I like and I get to drive forward with the ball.”

Leeds-born Phillips has come a long way since making his debut for the club three years ago under Neil Redfearn, and has since played under seven different head coaches at Elland Road. The surest sign yet that Leeds United require consistency.

It is remarkable to think that the the Leeds academy graduate is still just 22-years-old, yet he is closing in on 100 appearances for the club. He is currently sitting on 98 senior matches played for his boyhood club. His family who live within four miles of the club’s ground, and have seen him take on a deeper role since the introduction of Bielsa.

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Phillips effectively operates as a defensive midfielder who sits and protects the back four, whilst also operating as a third centre-back alongside Cooper, Jansson or Berardi. Yet it is his role as a catalyst for starting attacking phases, recycling possession and spraying long passes out wide to the wing-backs and advanced midfielders which has caught the eye.

Last month Phillips stated that he was just happy to be involved and playing: “I believe I can play anywhere in the midfield and I'm just happy to be playing and hopefully I can get the chance to do that throughout the season."

Phillips demonstrated his range of passing during to build up to Leeds' second goal during their 3-1 win over Stoke. Bailey Peacock-Farrell found the feet of Phillips who had dropped deep to receive the ball, before driving a 35-yard cross field ball across to Barry Douglas, Leeds’s new wing-back addition passed it first time to Gjanni Alioski, who squared the ball into the path of Pablo Hernandez, who was primed on the edge of the area, to drive the ball past the despairing lunge of Jack Butland. It was the clinical pass from Phillips that was the catalyst and took out three Stoke players in one move.

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The central midfielder managed to score 7 of his 9 competitive goals for the club last season, five of which came under Thomas Christiansen who saw a more advanced role better suited to his hame. So it was a surprise to see him given such a deep-lying role within the side, but that is the beauty of the unpredictability of Bielsa.

Phillips explained what Bielsa expects of him this season: “Just to be a ball-playing centre-half. Coops and Berra have done that really well throughout pre-season and I think he wanted to add a midfielder there to be composed when we’ve got the ball.”

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Leeds’ head coach has been full of praise for Phillips and complimentary about his defensive game and passing range: “He is a player who plays simple. He has a very good long pass. He is very good to get the ball from one space and put it into a better space.”

Phillips displayed another stellar performance at Pride Park, and completed more passes than any other Leeds player (55), and also completed the highest passing accuracy from either starting eleven (87.3%). He now looks incredibly composed on the ball, moving the ball quickly and constantly getting into possessions to make himself available to receive possession in the defensive and middle thirds of the pitch.

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Phillips covered huge distances during the win at Derby, and the above touch map (from right to left) emphasises just how much ground the deep-lying midfielder covered across the width of the pitch.

The 22-year-old has made the most passes for Leeds in their opening two league fixtures (101), and 15 more than any other player at the club, completing 82 of his attempts (81.2%). As well as his defensive duties, Phillips remains involved in Leeds’ build-up play, linking up well with Klich, Ayling, Alioski and Hernandez with intricate triangular passing patterns.

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This is the season that could well be the coming of age for Kalvin Phillips. For a player learning a new role, his positioning and quality of distribution has been exceptional. His passing range looks better than ever, particularly his longer drives upfield. Phillips’ first touch and movements are sharp, he has clearly worked on his physicality. His positive decision-making and energy has a positive influence on his teammates, and he is always making himself open for a pass. All of which go a long way to explaining why Bielsa rates him so highly.

Phillips, who has exquisite taste in footwear, having sported the iconic white Adidas Predators for the club over the past two seasons, has successfully completed more short passes (72) and the most long passes (10) than any other Leeds player in 2018/19.

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Another standout statistic is that Kalvin Phillips has averaged the longest distance between passes made by any outfield player for Leeds this season (44.9m). The 22-year-old has made a serious jump in terms of his performances and distribution compared with previous seasons. Phillips is passing with greater intent and moving the ball at pace. Phillips looks leaner, fitter, more confident than even and sharper with his decision making and his deliveries.

His performance stats reflect his improvement, with his passing accuracy rising from 72.4% to 81.2%, interceptions per game rising from 1.3 to 1.5 per game, and a sharp increase in the average short passes completed per game from 21.3 to 36.

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Kalvin Phillips, a player who has been at the club since the age of 14, is evidently thriving having being taken under Bielsa’s wing, which will ultimately help develop him and many others into better footballers.

One of the most exciting aspects of Leeds’ positive start is the influence that Marcelo Bielsa will have on the likes of Bailey Peacock-Farrell, Tom Pearce, Tyler Roberts, Ryan Edmondson and Jamie Shackleton, all under the age of 22 and very much involved in the first team set up.

Leeds United legend Lucas Radebe has been impressed with the start the club have made, but maintained the players have got to work even harder to preserve their early momentum: “They looked well organised and they worked hard which is the most important thing. That is the performance that they have got to maintain, they have got to work even harder in training and also for the new manager.”

Following the club's emphatic victory over Derby, Klich remained very grounded in his assessment of what is just the start of a very long campaign: "We’re very happy, but we’re not six or seven-year-old kids. We know what we need to do.”

Bielsa now faces his first Yorkshire derby against Rotherham, and a side that poses a very different threat to the likes of Stoke and Derby. Bielsa wants to see consistency and momentum from his players, and Saturday’s game is as good an opportunity as any to maintain such an impressive start.

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