The atmosphere in the Leeds United dressing room is a positive and confident one despite the fact the team has no permanent manager in charge.
This is according to Whites striker Patrick Bamford, who has revealed his opinions of caretaker boss Michael Skubala in a recent interview with Sky Sports.
Skubala assumed the interim role ahead of a double header against bitter rivals Manchester United last week after Jesse Marsch’s sacking on Monday.
He emerged from this baptism of fire with one point – which was more than expected but arguably less than his side deserved after two battling performances.
The club released a statement on Tuesday evening claiming that Skubala would retain his caretaker position for the Whites’ “upcoming fixtures”. Whilst the wording was vague, it is assumed that the 40-year-old will be in the dugout for Leeds’ upcoming trip to Goodison Park to face relegation rivals Everton on Saturday, at the very least.
Despite the general sense of uncertainty surrounding the club at present, Bamford has stressed the confidence running through the team. For him, this filters down from Skubala as their manager, and the openness he fosters amongst the group as a whole.
“I think first of all he’s very much a people’s person. He’s got his ideas and a way he wants us to play but he’s always kind of open and asking questions and how we feel about this and do we think we could do something different and it’s very much a conversation about those things,” Bamford said, speaking with Sky Sports.
“The way he set us up against Man United […] filled the group with more confidence and we were like ‘look, he’s good, he knows what he’s doing’”.
“He’s just filled the group with confidence and all the boys are happy to have him here.”
Unity in uncertain times
The sense of togetherness within the group – despite the current predicament the club hierarchy seem to be having in appointing a manager – is great to see.
It would be easy for the players to effectively give up and consign themselves to relegation, but this doesn’t seem to be the case.
All of this seems to stem from one presence in the dressing room: Skubala.
Despite his inexperience managing at this level, Skubala has – so far at least – risen to the challenge of Premier League management with professionalism and, by his own admission, excitement.
With an incredibly important fixture against Everton on the horizon, the galvanizing effect that Skubala has seemingly had on the Leeds United players could prove a pivotal factor in securing victory for his side.
