Sky Sports pundit forecasts 'tough' season for Leeds United, outlines importance of 20/21 'confidence'

The Whites won over an army of neutrals with their free-flowing attacking football in 2020/21, and were rewarded for their endeavours with a ninth-placed finish.

Last week’s 5-1 defeat at the hands of Manchester United meant that this season got off to a rocky start for Marcelo Bielsa’s men, however, and that result was followed up by a 2-2 draw against Everton on Saturday afternoon.

Speaking on Soccer Saturday ahead of that clash, Dawson outlined the importance of the Whites maintaining the swagger that served them so well last term over the coming months.

He said: “The first season they had back in the Premier League and they had no fans.

“It [Elland Road] will be rocking. The fans will be excited, the players will be excited.

"Did they overachieve last year by finishing ninth? Probably.

"First season back in the Premier League in a long time, and second season is always the hardest.

"They’ve got some great players – Raphinha, Jack Harrison, Patrick Bamford, Kalvin Phillips. These are are some good, good players.

"It will be a tough season for them because of the expectations of the fans. Finishing ninth – how do you push on from there? If you look at the teams that are above them, it’s really hard.

"It’s a great football club and the expectation is going to be big.

“They are going to lose games like they did last week. That’s going to be the way they play. Confidence last year, was it hit? No, because it was the first season back in the Premier League. Now if they do start losing and conceding a lot of goals with the fans there, then the confidence could be hit.”