Football Ground Map
Football Ground Map
The new Premier League season is a matter of weeks away and there's plenty to look forward too for fans across the globe. For many, the focus will be on whether Liverpool can secure back-to-back titles or if Manchester United can become genuine contenders again. However, another interesting aspect of the new campaign will be Leeds United.
The Whites sealed a return to the top-flight in style, after 16 years away, as Marcelo Bielsa's men ran away with the Championship and many will expect them to make an impact against the elite next season. There's no doubt they're capable of doing that, as the Argentinian, who is renowned for his extreme coaching methods, has the team playing fast, high-intensity football that is sure to surprise a few.
Marcelo Bielsa's @LUFC have the highest Expected Goal difference in the Championship this season (48.4). Promotion.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) July 20, 2020
Here, Stats Perform's @jamiemkemp takes a deeper look at the numbers behind Leeds' return to the Premier League.https://t.co/gd5H1dLXDw pic.twitter.com/XM04gdYDrs
Of course, you have to remember that the Yorkshire outfit are a newly-promoted team but checking the odds at the football betting at William Hill shows that Leeds aren't expected to be among the favourites to go down with odds of 7/2. Instead, the general feeling is that they have enough about them to steer clear of a relegation battle and potentially push for a top-half finish.
Yet, as well as the team bringing a lot to the Premier League, English football should be delighted to see Leeds fans and the atmospheric Elland Road back where they belong after the very long wait. Obviously we don't know when it will be packed to capacity with almost 40,000 fans screaming for their team but it is a ground that boasts plenty of history.
As the 14th largest football stadium in England, it deserves to be seen on the biggest stage and hosting the best players in the world – which it did regularly over the years during the hugely successful Don Revie era for Leeds and more recently under David O'Leary and those famous Champions League nights.
There can be a criticism in some quarters that the Premier League is now too bland, with extreme ticket prices pricing out the working fan and the atmosphere suffering as a result. Along with that, the likes of Arsenal and West Ham have seen how moving away from their iconic homes, Highbury and Upton Park respectively, can seriously damage the club. Whilst their new grounds look nice from the outside and have excellent facilities, they just don't feel like home for many who regularly go.
That won't be the case with Leeds United. Elland Road is something of a throwback and has been their home since they formed in 1919 and it's the place where the fans have seen all the ups and downs over the years and it will be down to the current crop to create new memories for the fans.
So, when the Premier League does come around again, there's no denying that Leeds will be adding a lot to the league. Bielsa and his style of play will understandably attract the most attention but it will also be nice to see the iconic Elland Road back hosting some huge games.
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