‘Fantastic’ – Heckingbottom shares what people at Thorp Arch have told him about Leeds players
Paul Heckingbottom may have left Leeds United over two years ago but it seems he still talks to people at Thorp Arch.
Leeds resume their bid to win promotion to the Premier League on Sunday with a testing trip to Cardiff City and all eyes will be on Marcelo Bielsa’s men and whether or not they can continue their momentum after a three-month break.
Before the Championship season was halted in March, the Whites were on a five-match winning streak without conceding any goals.
And based on the murmurs Heckingbottom has heard at Thorp Arch, the Yorkshire giants are looking good to continue with their form.
“The break probably takes away that one criticism people tended to have of Marcelo’s teams – justified or not – that they would fade away at the end of the season,” Heckingbottom told the Guardian.
“It is like starting again. Speaking to people there, the players are in fantastic shape and even fitter than they were before the break so I think they’ll be in a great position to see it through.”
No one knows how well Leeds will do once their season restarts in South Wales on Sunday.
Cardiff are not the easiest of teams to play against and playing against them after not playing against another team for over three months is going to be a big test.
Leeds have reportedly tried to play warm-up matches against other clubs but none of their plans materialised and Bielsa only knows how his players have performed against one another.
Is that risky? It could be. But Bielsa is the master of match preparation and the ex-Argentina and Chile manager has experience of going long periods without seeing his players or hosting training sessions.
Neil Harris doesn’t have that experience and we still expect Leeds to win.
In other Leeds United news, fans are worried by Phil Hay’s latest update from the EFL.