Leeds United legend draws Marcelo Bielsa comparison as he heaps praise on unsung heroes

Jermaine Beckford has become the latest to liken the job being done by Daniel Farke at Leeds United to Marcelo Bielsa's at Elland Road. The former Whites striker was speaking ahead of Leeds' home clash with Leicester City with United looking to pick up their ninth straight Championship win and close the gap between themselves and the league leaders.

Such form has seen Farke's side move into the automatic promotion places in the second tier with 13 games still to play. Of course, the memories of Leeds' last promotion to the Premier League in 2020 are still fresh for Whites supporters as Bielsa wrote his name into Elland Road folklore by getting Leeds back up to the top flight after 16 years away.

Interestingly, Farke's side are 10 points better off than Bielsa's promotion winners were at the same stage of the campaign, having scored 13 goals more and conceded four goals less prior to the clash with the Foxes. It's the latter stat that Beckford believes is most impressive, piling praise on the defensive impact Farke has made in West Yorkshire.

"It's an incredible job made even more incredible by the teams that are around them putting the same amount of pressure on the job Daniel Farke is doing, Southampton and Leicester," he said on Sky Sports ahead of the clash against Leicester. "Marcelo Bielsa is held in such high thoughts because of what he achieved in extremely difficult situations.

"He got Leeds United playing a certain type of football that hadn't been seen for a long time and it was exciting and entertaining. Daniel Farke is doing something very similar and points-wise, it's around 10 points more but defensively the team looks far more solid and astute. It's very interesting defensively how well Leeds United have impressed."

He added: "Since January 1 they've conceded one goal but the chances that they concede is something that everyone has to look at and absolutely praise because the quality of defensive style of play that Leeds have adapted to has been fantastic under Daniel Farke.

"Everybody talks about the attacking players, Crysencio Summerville, [Georginio] Rutter, but nobody is really talking about Firpo playing left-back or Archie Gray, or the two centre-halves. Ethan Ampadu has been unbelievable considering he's a centre midfielder playing next to Joe Rodon, they've been unbelievable together.

"From a neutral perspective that's got to be an area of the pitch people will watch and say 'wow, that's why they're in the form of the season so far'."