The template Leeds United and rapid Dan James can follow at sleepwalking Everton - David Prutton

It’s probably a big ask expecting him to continue with the same goalscoring output that we saw from him in Wednesday night’s 3-3 draw at Aston Villa.

But James has certain facets such as that ability to press, the lung capacity that he has got and that sheer exhilarating pace which can frighten the life out of even the quickest defenders in the Premier League.

That all means that if he allies that to the goalscoring touch that he showed on Wednesday night then you have got someone who can play in that position.

Whether Wednesday’s brace at Villa was a one-off or a turning of a corner or an opening of the door remains to be seen.

There is obviously a huge debate and discussion about who Leeds fans would want up front in the absence of Patrick Bamford.

Wednesday night’s double at Villa showed what Dan is capable of but we all know that players can have glorious one-off games in certain parts of a season.

Now it’s up to him as to whether he can do that again if he plays in the same position in the next game but the thing that killed Leeds once again at Villa was the defending.

Defensively, Leeds are very close to having the worst defence in the league with the goals conceded.

As frustrating as it is for Leeds fans to watch, that means they are not giving themselves the best chance to come away with victory.

Normally you would look at going to Villa and scoring three goals and coming away with a point as Leeds making very hard work of what a Premier League game can be if they are playing at their absolute best.

Leeds have conceded one less than Newcastle and three less than Norwich and that absolutely has to be stamped out.

Villa obviously pose a threat from set-pieces and they have got quality and size to contend with. But that’s part and parcel of any football game across the world.

The absolute fundamental to win a match is to outscore the opposition. There is nothing more literal than that in what we know about the game.

But I always feel that it’s going to catch up with you if you are having to look at those bigger scorelines to get anything out of it.

I also think it’s a collective thing. If you are looking at individuals from set-pieces then it’s a bit different.

But that team at its best has always defended as a team and attacked predominantly as a team and this second season in the Premier League is proving to be slightly harder because of the inability to keep those clean sheets.

Leeds now travel to Everton tomorrow and the Toffees are very much in the mix when it comes to the battle to stay up.

I watched them at Newcastle on Tuesday and they were poor.

They were out-fought, out-run, out-battled, out-thought at times and they were well beaten by a Newcastle side that showed possibly the imprint of what it is to be in that position but to show the type of emotional and mental courage to get through the game.

Newcastle were magnificent, bolstered by Kieran Trippier and Allan Saint-Maximin, of course, but this is a game that I fancy Leeds to go and win from what I saw of Everton and the template that Newcastle set about to beat them.

I was at St James’ Park and Eddie Howe put it into the perspective of it being a huge three points but a game in February which you absolutely understand.

But, if you are that Leeds side with Everton behind you with that game in hand, you need to keep that distance and you need to keep them at arm’s length so that, if they are swinging, they are not making any connections on you.

I think it’s a good time for Leeds to play them. Dele Alli got on the pitch for Everton against Newcastle and seemed to need to get back up to speed.

Donny van de Beek got on too and didn’t do too much harm going forward and they had problems in defence because it was a defence to be got at.

At Villa, Leeds attacked with pace and purpose and that’s the template they set for themselves.

But what Leeds do at their absolute best is suffocate the life out of the opposition and don’t give them a minute’s peace which was what Newcastle did in big parts of that game against Everton on Tuesday.

For Leeds, that’s the way to go about it. I think Leeds will be all right and stay up.

I’ve seen Burnley up close in the last few weeks and Watford up close in the last few weeks.

Norwich are obviously showing a bit more fight under Dean Smith.

But, looking at this purely objectively, with Leeds I have seen more fight, more hunger and more quality.

Everton have sleepwalked into this position off the back of a toxic relationship between the former manager and the side.

From their point of view, they are hoping that Frank Lampard is coming in at just the right time and the players are coming in at just at the right time.

But this is an Everton side that is there for the taking and Leeds need to make sure that’s the case.

You look above Leeds and they have got two games in hand on Brentford who have been on a ridiculously long winless run.

With the teams in and around them, you have got to keep an eye on their results.

Leeds, though, are firmly in the camp where, if they do their own business, then they will be fine.

Support the YEP and become a subscriber today. You'll enjoy unlimited access to the latest on Leeds United and Leeds Rhinos. With our sports digital subscription, you'll also see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get exclusive content. Click HERE to subscribe.