Analysing Leeds United's excellent start to the season

Jesse Marsch has started the season well with Leeds as they currently sit fourth in the table with seven points from a possible nine.

We’ve looked into the stats behind Leeds United's positive start to the season and assessed what’s realistic for them this season. 

 

Where things went wrong last season 

Under Marcelo Bielsa, Leeds were plenty of fun to watch, but their relentless style came as a double-edged sword. 

Throughout the 2021/22 campaign, only Norwich and Burnley faced more shots per game than Leeds did. 

The numbers slightly improved when Marsch came in, but throughout the season they averaged 15.3 shots against them per 90. 

They conceded 79 goals in total, which was an average of 2.07 goals per game. 

Given the injuries they had, this defensive record left them in real danger of being relegated. 

Thanks to a final day win at Brentford, they were able to scrape survival and Jesse Marsch was given full rein in the summer transfer window. 

 

Transfer business 

Leeds have seen one of the biggest squad overturns during this window and several of their new additions have already hit the ground running. 

Having lost both Kalvin Phillips and Raphinha, Leeds had plenty of work to do this summer in order to replace their quality. 

Raphinha was their creative spark and finished the Premier League season as the club's top scorer with 11 goals. 

In total, the Brazilian contributed towards over 25% of Leeds goals last season and so replacing him was always going to be a tough job. 

Leeds have brought in seven players in total and have spent over £90million throughout the window. 

Brenden Aaronson has been their most expensive signing and he managed to get off the mark against Chelsea in Leeds third game of the season. 

 

Players coming back into form 

Jack Harrison and Rodrigo have been two of Leeds best players so far this season as the pair have rediscovered their form. 

Harrison has been the creative outlet this season as he has averaged four key passes per 90 and 2.7 dribbles. 

Rodrigo has also taken on the goalscoring responsibility in the absence of Patrick Bamford. 

The Spanish forward has already scored four goals and he’s almost matched his goal output from last season.  

Only Darwin Nunez and Aleksandar Mitrovic have taken more shots per game than Rodrigo. 

The Leeds striker has taken 4.3 shots per game and has adapted well to his new role.  

He is currently the biggest xG overperformer in the Premier League with four goals from an xG of just 1.8. 

 

Defensive stability 

Jesse Marsch seems to have perfectly struck the balance between defence and attack this season, a dynamic which they struggled with last season. 

So far this season Leeds have faced 14.3 shots per game, which is a steady improvement on their defensive numbers from last season. 

Illan Meslier was regularly peppered with shots last season and he finished the 21/22 campaign as the biggest Premier League goalkeeper underachiever.  

He conceded 7.8 more goals than he was expected to, perhaps as a result of how exposed he was behind a shaky back-line. 

The biggest strength this Leeds side had under Bielsa was their willingness to outrun the opposition. 

Last season they ranked within Europe’s top 10 best pressing sides and Jesse Marsch has been keen to keep hold of that work ethic. 

So far this season Leeds have made more tackles in the Premier League than any other side, making 24.7 tackles per game. 

Tyler Adams has been a superb addition to the Leeds midfield so far and across his three appearances for the club, he has already made 13 tackles. 

By no means is this Leeds United side the finished article, but considering where they were at last season, Jesse Marsch deserves huge credit for the start they have had.