While the phrase; ‘Leeds have been a breath of fresh air this season’ may have been greatly overused this year, it is hard to argue that that is the case.
The way in which Marcelo Bielsa’s side attack in every game, no matter the opponent, is something that recent Premier League seasons have been missing from sides outside the ‘big six’.
The likes of Newcastle, Burnley and Crystal Palace all continue to set up in a defensive manner week in and week out, but Leeds always play on the front foot.
While their match against Chelsea ended goalless on Saturday afternoon, there were 12 shots on target for both teams combined, the most seen in a Premier League 0-0 draw since 2016.
What is interesting though, is that that game was their best defensive performance against a team who finished in last season top six, based on 's expected goals (xG) model.
What is expected goals (xG)?
- Expected goals (xG) is a metric that measures the quality of any given scoring opportunity
- Expected goals for (xGF) is the xG created by a team
- Expected goals against (xGA) is xG conceded by a team
Leeds had been previously exploited against the best
It is fascinating to dig deeper into Leeds’s xG numbers this season, and when we do, there are some key takeaways that explain certain things.
Leeds’ season up to the goalless draw with Chelsea could be split into two sections; vs last season’s top six (seven games) and vs ‘the rest’ (20 games).
While their expected goals (xGA) total was the third worst in the league pre-Chelsea, a whopping 44% of that total (21.5 xGA) had come in their seven matches against last season’s top six.
Those teams are; Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, Leicester and Tottenham, and eight of their 28 league games this season have come against those teams.
That averages out to 3.07 xGA per game, with the Whites all-out attacking approach clearly not well suited to playing against the teams with elite individual players that are capable of exploiting spaces left by them.
However, the way in which they contained Chelsea on Saturday does suggest that a corner may have been turned.