Leeds United can last the Championship pace, insists Mateusz Klich

The midfielder claimed Bielsa’s determination to “keep us on the ground” was helping Leeds to maintain the form which carried them three points clear at the top of the Championship on Boxing Day.

United followed up a 95th-minute victory at Aston Villa on Sunday by sealing another win in the fifth minute of injury time against Blackburn Rovers on Wednesday amid drama which Klich described as “very intense and very, very good.”

Bielsa’s side have not dropped out of the top six at any stage this season and now hold a huge 14-point advantage over Birmingham City in seventh.

Seven victories back-to-back have put Leeds on the brink of their longest winning run in a league campaign since 1931. They will attempt to secure an eighth at home to Hull City this weekend.

United were in the mix for promotion under Thomas Christiansen at the same stage of last season and reeled off a fourth successive victory on Boxing Day but their campaign fell apart in January and Christiansen was sacked on the first weekend of February. Under his replacement, Paul Heckingbottom, the club tailed off into 13th place.

Klich was absent during the second half of that term after Leeds and Christiansen shipped him out on loan to Utrecht in Holland but the Poland international said he could feel a different and stronger constitution with Bielsa in charge.

“I was here last season and I saw that after Christmas it was not good,” Klich said. “But this time we have a different manager. He keeps telling us that every game is going to be difficult, that there are no easy games.

“He keeps us on the ground, we train hard every day and everything works. As you can see, we play differently. We act differently on the pitch and we play very attacking, offensive football.

“I hope everyone enjoys it because we enjoy it very much on the pitch.”

Klich made a strong start to this campaign, registering five goals and five assists in the first three months, but he has not scored in 11 games and last laid on an assist at the start of November.

"Klich is not scoring goals in these last games,” he joked, referring to the terrace chant about him, “but as long as we are winning then I don't really mind.”