Derby County 1 Leeds United 4: Another fine start but Bielsa's brilliance very different to last year - The Final Word

Title favourites - is this United's year?

Marcelo Bielsa, Kemar Roofe and Mateusz Klich all spoke with the media after Saturday's brilliant victory and the trio were not surprisingly keen to make the same point - Leeds have only played two games.

Klich was also keen to stress that Leeds enjoyed a fantastic start to last season's campaign under Thomas Christiansen - being top after seven games - only to crumble away and finish 13th.

But there is no simply no escaping the impressive nature of United's displays in their first two games and moreover there is no getting away from the standard of the opposition Leeds have faced.

Quite where Derby will end up in this season's pecking order is unclear but it seems a fair bet that Frank Lampard's side will be there or thereabouts given the players at their disposal yet United were full value for their 4-1 victory despite Bielsa's kind words that the scoreline could perhaps have been tighter.

Stoke, meanwhile, with one the strongest squads the Championship has seen, will surely be one of the leading contenders not just for promotion but to win the division.

Indeed, the Potters were favourites to win the Championship up until now.

Instead, that mantle of title favourites is now held by Leeds and if performances like United's opening two offerings can be maintained then the Whites are surely looking at their best chance yet for promotion back to the top tier.

That is the 'if' of course and whether Bielsa's side can keep up such high octane displays over 46 games remains to be seen.

Then there is the question over whether or not the squad has not enough strength in depth when there become inevitable injuries and suspensions to contend with.

But the early signs are undeniably promising and this year's start to the season is a different ball game to last year's considering not just the stature of the opposition Leeds have faced but also the manner of United's victories.

There's a huge difference between smashing Stoke and Derby compared to eclipsing Bolton and Sunderland in the first two games of last term and at the end of the day five of United's first seven opponents during their unbeaten run which took them top by September last season finished in the bottom eight.

The Championship can be unpredictable but it's a fair assumption that Stoke and Derby will not be finishing in the bottom eight. Top eight more like, at least.

Moreover, United's displays against the Potters and Rams were on a different level to anything seen last year and what Bielsa has done with the Leeds squad is almost freakish with Samu Saiz's work-rate and running quite incredible in the first half.

Going back to last weekend, there was an argument to suggest that Stoke got caught cold by the Whites but Lampard and Derby knew exactly what was coming.

But stopping Bielsa's energetic, pressing and attacking football proved another matter altogether and next Saturday's visitors Rotherham must be fearing a complete pasting.

Bielsa, Klich and Roofe and co are quite right to state that the only table that matters is the one after 46 games and that the displays and efforts against Stoke and Derby need to be repeated on a week-by-week basis.

But United's fans are also well within their rights to get excited, especially in what looks a very open division.

The question is this...If Leeds are not deserving title favourites then based on what we have seen so far, who is?

Early days, yes, but undeniably potentially very exciting times at Elland Road.

Pontus Jansson and Patrick Bamford

Bielsa unsurprisingly named the same starting XI that set out against Stoke which meant £7m striker signing Patrick Bamford and United's talisman Swedish international centre back Pontus Jansson again had to make do with places on the bench.

It was the same story for Manchester City loanee winger Jack Harrison as well as Chelsea loanee duo Lewis Baker and Jamal Blackman in addition to Tyler Roberts but the overriding feeling is that in Jansson and Bamford Leeds have two 'first teamers' on the bench.

But Bielsa will again surely find it very difficult to justify making any changes for United's next league game at home to Rotherham.

Roofe was sensational - producing an even better display than the one seen on the opening weekend against Stoke, a similarly high energy effort but capped off with two wonderful goals.

Bamford cannot start ahead of him on this form and if there is a change to be made then it would likely be with Jansson coming in for Gaetano Berardi at centre-back.

Berardi is to be commended for his efforts playing at centre-back alongside captain Liam Cooper as the Swiss defender is clearly a more natural full back but the 29-year-old did look stretched on occasions which is understandable.

It remains to be seen whether Jansson is now brought back into the team at the third attempt.

Before that, a raft of changes can be expected for tomorrow night's first round Carabao Cup clash with Bolton Wanderers at Elland Road.

It should also be remembered that Saturday's stunning win at Derby was achieved minus the services of two very good players in Adam Forshaw and Stuart Dallas who are both currently injured but neither would start at present given the form of those currently in the team.

Certainly Kalvin Phillips and man of the moment Mateusz Klich are no-brainers to start in centre midfield right now with Klich having returned from his loan stint looking like a different player and almost like an impressive new recruit.

Gjanni Alioski and Pablo Hernandez were both excellent on the wings and while Dallas can also play at full back and centre midfield for that matter there is not much chance of shifting Luke Ayling or Barry Douglas from the side at present.

Looking at Derby's goal, Liam Cooper conceded the free-kick from which the Rams scored and there have been suggestions that 'keeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell might have done better with Tom Lawrence's goal but in fairness Lawrence hit the thing like Cristiano Ronaldo and Cooper has been excellent in United's first two games.

No need for many changes, if any, for Saturday's clash with the Millers though if there is one then Jansson in for Berardi seems most likely.

But do you change a winning side? Tough one.

Jamie Shackleton and the club's star youngsters

One player highly likely to start in Tuesday night's Carabao Cup clash against Bolton is 18-year-old midfielder Jamie Shackleton who has handed a memorable Whites debut against Derby as a second half substitute.

The fact that Shackleton was the first substitute introduced and that he came on with all of 17 minutes left for an understandably tired Klich speaks volumes about the esteem that Bielsa holds him in.

The teenager slotted in seamlessly into centre-midfield and Leeds look to have developed another gem from the Academy given that Shackleton can play in a variety of positions.

The teen then completed a dream weekend by signing a new three-year-deal with the Whites which was announced on Monday morning.

Shackleton, Roberts, Tom Pearce, and Conor Shaughnessy were the four youngsters that Bielsa admitted he rated the highest and as part of his 22 when asked during Thursday's pre-Derby press conference and all four will likely figure against Bolton - a game which will be very helpful for a latest check of United's strength in depth with the likes of Ryan Edmondson and Jack Clarke clearly held in very high regard too.

It will be fascinating to see how United's youngsters develop under Bielsa and if their development in any way mirrors what has happened with the first team then Elland Road is in for a treat with the club seemingly in their best shape yet to finally return to the Premier League for the first time since 2004.