Exclusive:'Avoiding defeat is crucial for Leeds United - but I want wins against Bournemouth & Tottenham'

Jermaine Beckford has backed the importance of Leeds United’s hard-to-beat status with the priority still Premier League survival.

The Whites have failed to win since their 4-1 thumping of Newcastle United over six weeks ago despite three of their last four games coming against current bottom-five opposition. Daniel Farke’s side have also failed to score from open play against those struggling opponents with questions being asked of their attacking strength.

But those same six weeks have seen Leeds beaten only once, at reigning champions Arsenal, and three draws have been enough to keep them seventh in the Premier League. The Whites travel to Bournemouth on Saturday before hosting Tottenham Hotspur next weekend and while Beckford would love to see two wins, he’d take a continuation of recent results.

“I would love to see a third and a fourth win, if I’m being honest,” Beckford told the YEP via FreeBets, home of the best UK betting sites. “But I think more importantly, it’s about making sure we don’t lose.

“Look at how well we play when we’re on the back foot. We’re aggressive, we read the game really well. Hard-working, tough-tackling. But we’ve also got a sprinkling of a little bit of magic in there as well. So if you put all of those ingredients in a bowl, the recipe is fantastic and the outcome, the cake, is a very tasty one.

“Ultimately, the bigger picture is making sure we stay in the Premier League. And you come up against teams like Bournemouth, they’ll be well up for it. They’ll be really hungry. I like to think opposition teams and managers will be more concerned with what we’re going to do than what they’re going to do.”

Farke has his defensive players to thank for the current position and points tally, with Arsenal the only team to concede fewer than Leeds’ six league goals. At Sunderland last weekend, the back line defended well to keep a crucial clean sheet and they’ll need to be at their best again this weekend.

That two of the current first-choice back-three - Nico Elvedi and Tarik Muharemovic - plus goalkeeper James Trafford joined in the summer is testament to the work Farke has done in making Leeds a hard nut to crack. And Beckford has been very impressed with what he’s seen in that area.

“If you’re looking at the stats, the numbers, unbelievable,” he added. “But it’s more than that. It’s how comfortable they are in and out of possession as well. All of them have come up against some really good forwards with great movement or great physicality, and they’ve handled them for the most part.

“They’ve done really well, read the games well, been physical, and when one of them is in a little bit of a tussle, the others are covering in behind, so they all understand each other’s roles really well. James Justin, special mention to him. I think JJ has been unbelievable. He’s slotted into that position seamlessly.

“But you could argue the same case for Tarik. What a signing he has been. One of my favourite players and he’s so down to earth. And you’ve got James Trafford behind that. I mentioned he’s got three or four clean sheets this season. All in all, I think the back line for Leeds looks really, really good. I’m impressed. I think everyone is.”