Why Leeds need to keep close eye on surprise Tottenham threat once described as a ‘bulldog’
Leeds United welcome an improving Tottenham to Elland Road on Saturday for what could be one of their toughest challenges of the season.
Tottenham are strong favourites to win the game, having massively improved since appointing Thomas Frank as manager.
Under Frank, Tottenham have only lost one Premier League game this season and remain unbeaten in the Champions League.
Spurs have scored 11 league goals this season – only three teams have scored more. Richarlison is their top goalscorer with three goals already, while new signings Mohammed Kudus and Joao Palhinha have orchestrated a lot of their best work in attack.
However, there’s one underrated player that Leeds will need to monitor very closely if they want to shut out Spurs at the weekend.
Pedro Porro emerges as defender with most assists since start of 2023-24 season
Spurs defender Pedro Porro was once described as a “bulldog” by his teammate Dejan Kulusevski for the energy and tenacity he brings to the team.
However, it has now emerged that he brings far more than that. New data from Opta has revealed that no defender has provided more Premier League assists than Porro since the start of the 2023-24 season. He has registered 18 assists in that time.
Gabriel Gudmundsson has been fantastic for Leeds this season, but he might have his work cut out defending against Porro and Xavi Simons, if that’s who starts for Tottenham. In any case, he will need some support from Brenden Aaronson on the right wing to ensure he isn’t overwhelmed on that side.
Leeds have enough firepower in their team to cause Tottenham problems
Tottenham are much improved under Thomas Frank, but they have still proved vulnerable in defence if teams can put them under a bit of pressure.
Norwegian minnows Bodo/Glimt did that in the Champions League this week, securing a two-goal lead before Spurs battled back for a draw. Brighton and Wolves have also taken the lead against Tottenham in recent weeks, forcing Spurs to mount a late fightback.
| Date | Result |
| 30 September | Drew 2-2 vs Bodo/Glimt |
| 27 September | Drew 1-1 vs Wolves |
| 24 September | Won 3-0 vs Doncaster |
| 20 September | Drew 2-2 vs Brighton |
Leeds have shown new levels of excellence in attack recently. Dominic Calvert-Lewin is showing signs of peak form, while Anton Stach is creating great chances for his teammates in every game.
They have more than enough talent to score a goal or two in this game. From there, their success will depend on how well they can suppress Spurs’ wealth of attacking talent.
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