Leeds United leader's warning for Premier League rivals as 'physicality' claim made
A strong and direct approach bought Leeds United plenty of success last season.
Leeds United captain Ethan Ampadu insists any playing-style changes next season will not come at the cost of what brought success last time out.
The Whites over-achieved on their goal of survival during the previous campaign, finishing 14th and securing safety with three games to spare. At the heart of their success was physicality with Daniel Farke often referencing the squad’s running stats during periods of form.
Leeds hope to add more technical quality to their ranks this summer while maintaining that level of physicality, with £34million signing Tarik Muharemovic a perfect example of how to achieve that blend. It’s a balance they’ll need to get right on the pitch too.
“I think you've always got to try and adapt,” Ampadu told BBC West Yorkshire Sport. “You’ve got to lean on what’s worked and you’ve also got to adapt, where you can improve. I think anything or any way we can do that is going to be done, as I said about myself individually but as a collective, as a team we want to improve, no matter which way that is.
“That's why we have pre-season but it's one of the most demanding leagues in the world so the physicality has to be there again. We’ve got to try and outrun teams again, make sure we’re hard to play against and see if we can adapt because you want to try and find ways to win.”
Ampadu and his teammates flew out to the USA on Tuesday and will be put through their paces almost instantly. A double session had been lined up for the squad today as preparations ramp up ahead of Wrexham this weekend.
The midfielder enjoyed a well-earned rest after Wales’ June friendlies and went on holiday with teammate Joe Rodon. But ever the professional, there was always next season in the back of his mind.
Asked what he got up to during the summer break, Ampadu said: “Relax a little bit but put myself in a position where I can try to drive standards more coming into this year. My performance, helping the team in a better way.
“Not individual things to improve on but as a collective, to improve how I can be as a leader. Just to better myself in general which hopefully will enable everyone to feel freer or make sure we have some better results.”