Leeds United have already proven a lot of doubters wrong so far this season.
The Whites have been so impressive in recent weeks that notable pundits like Paul Merson predict Leeds to pick up all three points on their travels when they square off against Everton on Monday night.
Daniel Farke’s side look more and more like an established Premier League outfit each week, and if they keep this up, they will end the season comfortably in mid-table, rather than being in the midst of a tense relegation battle.
This is something the Leeds players are certainly aware of, with one recently making an admission regarding the team that all supporters will love.
Gabriel Gudmundsson opens up on ‘clear goal’ with Leeds
Unfortunately for Leeds, Gudmundsson is a doubt for the game against Everton, with the left-back having played in all 22 of the Whites’ Premier League fixtures so far this season.
Ahead of the press-conference in which Farke revealed that Gudmundsson is dealing with adductor problems, the 26-year-old spoke to BBC Radio Leeds (via Yorkshire Evening Post) about the potential of United continuing to climb the Premier League table this season.
“It’s a balance because we know the quality in this group, and with the help of the coaching staff.
“If you kind of think it’s eight points down to West Ham, if you also add eight points to us, then we climb to I don’t know where it is, but (level with) ninth position.
“I believe it’s how you want to look at it, but again, we have one goal this season, which is to stay up, so I don’t mind if it’s just above the relegation zone or it’s ninth in the league. For us, we have a clear goal, and we just need to make sure that we work hard as we have done so far.
“That’s our strengths – to show that physical quality as well, and on the ball we have shown lately the qualities we have with Dominic (Calvert-Lewin) and Brenden (Aaronson) scoring goals and trying to be compact and not conceding too many goals.”
The fact that Leeds are in a position where they can afford to look above them in the table only speaks volumes as to how well the Whites have adapted to life in the Premier League so far, and if they keep going down this path, then all of a sudden, top-half finishes like Gudmundsson mentioned do not seem so out of the question.
Gabriel Gudmundsson would be a massive miss against Everton
With the recent departure of Jack Harrison, who left the club on loan to join Fiorentina, Gudmundsson is the only left-footed player who can play left-wing back for Leeds.
Whilst James Justin is more than capable of doing a solid job in the Swede’s absence if he does miss the game, Justin will be unable to provide the same threat going forward that Gudmundsson does, with him being forced to invert onto his right foot.
Although this may be fine when Farke’s side are away from home and more content to take a point, if Gudmundsson becomes injured long-term, then Leeds’ lack of attacking threat down the left-hand side could come back to bite them.
To put in perspective how good Gudmundsson has been for Leeds this season, DataMB’s graph comparing him to Jurrien Timber is eye-opening.
(Credit: DataMB)
Even when compared to arguably the best full-back in the league, Gudmundsson’s ball-carrying ability in particular stands out, and Leeds will certainly miss this if the Swede is out of action for multiple games.
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