Leicester City reality check will stand Leeds United in good stead - David Prutton

IF there is an element that helps to keep people’s spirits up in lockdown with something as wonderfully frivolous as football then great.
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Lockdown feels slightly different this time around and it’s nice that we have got something like football – as meaningless as that can be – to really focus on.

Hopefully it makes this next passage of lockdown pass by relatively straightforwardly but I am not being flippant when I say that because I know how tough it is for every single person involved in all of this.

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Leeds United now go to Crystal Palace today looking to bounce back from Monday night’s 4-1 loss at home to Leicester City and someone like Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers would have absolutely relished taking on Whites head coach Marcelo Bielsa.

THWARTED: Leeds United striker Patrick Bamford is denied by Leicester City goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel in Monday night's 4-1 defeat to the Foxes at Elland Road. Photo by PETER POWELL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images.THWARTED: Leeds United striker Patrick Bamford is denied by Leicester City goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel in Monday night's 4-1 defeat to the Foxes at Elland Road. Photo by PETER POWELL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images.
THWARTED: Leeds United striker Patrick Bamford is denied by Leicester City goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel in Monday night's 4-1 defeat to the Foxes at Elland Road. Photo by PETER POWELL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images.

Leeds have been fascinating to watch so far this season and we have seen what Leicester are capable of.

We knew for a fact it was never going to be an easy game for Leeds against Leicester and the contest proved a bit of a reality check that shows that United can’t get carried away with themselves.

You can’t take anything away from Leicester because over the 90 minutes they were good value for the win even though Leeds did have chances too.

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But the positive you can take from it is that no-one at Leeds is going to get too carried away with themselves so far this season.

Leeds and in particular Patrick Bamford had chances against Leicester, with Bamford’s header straight at Kasper Schmeichel coming 17 seconds before Leicester scored their opener.

But it’s about fine margins and just because Patrick scored some exquisite goals and a hat-trick in the win at Aston Villa it doesn’t mean that questions about how prolific he is will completely go away.

There will be questions being asked and questions being posed by the opposition over the course of the season.

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Overall, what we have seen from Leeds so far is the complete spectrum of what you would expect from a team who have been promoted.

They have surprised teams, they have been surprised themselves and they have been naive in certain respects but overall they have given a really good account of themselves.

Heading into the Palace game and into the November international break, you can’t come too far away from saying it’s a job well done so far and that element of not getting carried away is what is going to stand them in good stead.

Without sounding too much like a groaning cliché there is absolutely no way you can look at any of these sides in the Premier League and get carried away with what you are going to get from them.

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Palace are just behind Leeds in the table but the two sides are neck and neck on points and Palace have got it well within their capabilities to beat Leeds.

You can absolutely get carried away with being in the Premier League and rightly so.

But let’s not get lulled into thinking that just because Leeds play in a certain way that they were always bound for the Premier League because their style was too good for the Championship.

Leeds also showed the necessary balls to get out of the Championship to get through games and win games which you need in abundance in the Premier League as well as great tactical nous and tremendous drive and technical focus.

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Palace are potentially a very dangerous team to Leeds but vice versa as well.

The contest will see 65-year-old Bielsa up against 73-year-old Palace boss Roy Hodgson and the spring chicken element is not quite there!

But the great thing here is that you have got two managers who are treated with due reverence given their stature in the game and their opinions on football and the good, bad and indifferent sides of what this sport offers.

They both have experienced opinions on things and I really enjoy listening to both.

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The game will be a good advert for experience and a good advert for people’s time in the game being rightly respected.

The contest will be a fascinating match up and you will see a lot of deserved respect and recognition between the two of them.

Leeds has a fantastic story to tell - and the Yorkshire Evening Post has been rooted firmly at the heart of telling the stories of our city since 1890.

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Thank you Laura Collins