Leeds United show signs of life under Marcelo Bielsa and why I feel sorry for Patrick Bamford - David Prutton

There is absolutely work to do for Marcelo Bielsa but when you take a step back and look at the injuries he has had to contend with and it being the second season in the Premier League, sitting where they are now three points above the drop zone gives the club an element of breathing space.

There’s been enough positives in the opening 11 games to know that they can get much, much better in the months ahead though on the flip side there are still things that would make you think that this year is going to be very tough.

It seems the case that more often than not a team gets promoted from the Championship and goes on to do really well before the expectation levels suddenly skyrocket.

They’re always high at Leeds whatever the season and rightly so. The history and fanbase demands as such.

Of course, there does need to be some tempering within that because I firmly believe we all knew that it wasn’t just a case of once you’re back in the top flight you’re done and dusted.

The hard work is now kicking in and it just goes to show you what a tremendously tough work in progress being in the Premier League is, regardless of whether you deem yourself to be a big fish in there or not.

The fight is there. We’ve seen it. Bielsa wouldn’t have the players if it wasn’t. And they’ve shown flashes of what they’re capable of. It just maybe hasn’t quite come totally together yet in one afternoon.

You do look at the teams around them – Norwich, Newcastle, Watford and Aston Villa and they have all changed their managers and it looks like a bit of panic has set in for those teams already.

They’ll be under no illusions at Elland Road of the task ahead but it is the belief in this process that has got them to where they are today. It’s been bought into by everyone from top to bottom and there’s no time to lose any nerve.

The signs are there that they are finding a bit of form now. Adam Forshaw was a huge plus last weekend – it cannot be overstated what an achievement that was for him to come back and play at that level.

Kalvin Phillips looks like he’s getting somewhere near to full fitness and it’s obvious they’re missing Patrick Bamford in front of goal – whoever else they’ve tried, be it Dan James, Jack Harrison or Rodrigo it just hasn’t quite worked.

I thought Forshaw gave a bit of balance and that actually allowed Rodrigo to concentrate a little bit more on things in the final third against Leicester.

If the team weren’t performing – possibly Southampton last month was the closest we’ve seen to that – then you’d be very worried. But given the fact they’ve been competitive in games in general gives you a lot of confidence that there’s plenty in reserve.

It’s a good time for the squad to recharge this week amid the November international break – it feels like there’s one every two weeks at the minute, doesn’t it?

Some of the squad will be away with their national teams while others can get a bit of rest in the legs with a manic six weeks or so coming up as we head into the new year and beyond.

I feel for Patrick with his injury having had plenty of ankle injuries myself throughout my career. I imagine he’ll be working hard at Thorp Arch in the gym to build up his strength and conditioning.

It sounded like he thought he might be back sooner and now he’s been faced with a prolonged period of time in the treatment room which is never fun. He’ll feel like he’s missing out.

I had experience of it where you’d be working with a physio and you’d do some straight line running and you’d think it feels absolutely fine. Great. Let’s get going again.

But the minute you started twisting and turning you’d feel the pain again. A footballer’s body works as one, there’s nothing independent in any of the movements so if one thing throws you out it can be a real struggle.

As a player you just have to show incredible patience because these things cannot be rushed. We all know that you cannot go back into this Leeds team half fit or under-prepared due to the demand from his head coach, the fans and even the pressure he will put on himself.

Leeds can’t have any passengers in the team because of the division that they find themselves in but also the way that they play one-on-one and the high intensity pressing.

It’s hugely frustrating to not have your focal point out there but whenever Patrick gets that glorious cavalry call to come back over the hill it will give everyone at the club a huge lift.

I think it is a measure of how much he has achieved and come through in his time at Leeds to see how much he is a miss now for the team.

There were initial doubts about his abilities but he has completely smashed those away and proved just what a top quality player he is.

Long may that continue in a white shirt.