The positives that outweigh Leeds United negatives but a warning for Jesse Marsch: David Prutton

A fixture with Leeds is never going to be something that's quietly filed away, as was the case with the Tottenham game at the weekend. The Whites find themselves in 15th place in the Premier League table as we head for the World Cup break and I have always said that if Leeds find themselves anywhere above that dotted line come the end of the season then it's happy days. It has to be that way, not for the foreseeable future but for the very near future with regards to re-establishing themselves because it feels a bit feast or famine at the moment when it comes to points and performances.

Once again, Leeds showed at the weekend how good they can be going forward but they also showed how vulnerable they can be at the back which must thrill and frustrate the fans in equal measure. But given what we've seen in certain junctures and where we find them, I think you've got to err on the side of positivity because Leeds are not in the bottom three and there is a little cushion away from the bottom three, albeit just two points. If it's like that at the end of the season then happy days.

We didn't quite know where the points were going to come from ahead of the Liverpool, Bournemouth and Tottenham games. But now we have seen the games where they have borne fruit and not from the ones that we would have possibly have hung our hats on. The team is built to attack, no doubt about it and Rodrigo is now playing the way that he is and scoring the goals that he is and showing what he is capable of once again. But Leeds need that on a very regular basis, particularly coming back in December.

What does a Jesse Marsch team look like? They are exciting, they are infuriating, they can look creative, they can look vulnerable, they have got energy. There is sometimes an immaturity about them and when I say an immaturity I mean that across the board with regards to hanging on to leads and defending as and when they are in control of a game.

There's plenty to respect I think if you are a Leeds fan but there's also plenty to keep you on your toes with regards to the rest of the season. The defending is the main thing keeping everyone on their toes at the moment and when you play a team like Spurs and you don't necessarily make them work hard to score goals with the players they have got, then that is where the frustration will come for Leeds fans. Yes, you will present opportunities to the opposition but when you present opportunities to Rodrigo Bentancur and Harry Kane and people like that then that is irresponsible I think given obviously how we would assume Leeds would work up to that game, knowing what Tottenham's threats are.

If you've got a team that is capable of staying in the Premier League, as we have seen, then quite obviously you are doing something right. But I think that relying on a bit of a cavalier attitude to think that you can outscore the opposition does have a bit of a lifespan to it and you can run out of that way of playing. That puts a heavy reliance on the lads up top being in decent form to cover up what's going on the back. It's a collective effort defending.

You can look at the first goal for Spurs on Saturday and you might see a foul awarded on the goalkeeper for what happened there but I still think there is a possibility that you can be stronger in that regard with the defending of the front post. So early on in the game, giving opportunities up in that type of fashion means you have got a mountain to climb. I think collectively there is a structure there and the personnel there to be a good back four or a back five or whatever Jesse wants to play. Hopefully they have got time to work on stuff like that now and it will be basics.

Defending can be pretty rudimentary by virtue of the fact that you've got one job, keep the ball out of your net and you do that as a collective or you do that individually with last gasp defending. With the other goals at Spurs, one was a deflection and there was one where it felt like it should have been cleared off the line.

It means you are left sitting there shaking your head when on another day Leeds might have been home and hosed against a Spurs side that you perhaps wouldn't presume Leeds to get three points against.

I know there have been frustrations with Jesse Marsch and Jesse knows himself the position that he finds himself in. If Leeds come back and have a rubbish December and new year then he'll be under pressure, of course he will, and he knows that. That's just the very nature of the job and the team that he works for. He absolutely understands.

Leeds had been away from the Premier League for 16 years and God forbid they drop out of it this season or next season. That then puts a lot of good work back a couple of seasons. The situation that Leeds are in and how precarious it can be at times means that whoever is in charge will always be under pressure until the club is properly re-established in the Premier League.