Leeds United back in Premier League: The Journey

Leeds United, the first of the EFL Championship clubs to gain promotion to the Premier League.

The wait is over for Leeds United fans! After spending 16 seasons in exile, Leeds are back in the Premier League with West Brom settling for a defeat against Huddersfield Town. They are too on the verge of winning the Championship if Brentford fails to register a victory over Stoke City.

The journey has been a difficult one for the Whites. It looked as if they were going to be promoted last season only to find themselves eliminated by Derby County in the dramatic playoffs. However, the mistakes weren’t repeated by Marcelo Bielsa’s men, as he ensured the same intensity from his side, post lockdown.

The fans are relieved now and will be hoping to wrap up the season with the Championship trophy in their cabinet. With the promotion to the top flight, Bielsa becomes the first-ever Leeds United manager after Howard Wilkinson to see his side getting promoted to the top-tier from the EFL.

The manager has played a big part in his side’s EPL quest. The team has faced lots of challenges and played against all odds in most cases, before ending their exile. Here is how things panned out for Leeds United since their relegation to England’s second-tier.

The pain of relegation

Leeds were a well-off side in the Premier League in the early 2000s and even appeared in the Champions League semifinals in 2001. However, the administration malfunction affected the club and the bad times started rolling in for them.

Due to their financial issues, the club got relegated in 2004 which marked their exile from the top flight. Despite relegation, Kevin Blackwell was almost there to get the side back into the Premier League in 2005-06. However, the Whites were placed in administration and were relegated to League One in 2007. Yet another setback!

To make matters worse, Leeds were deducted 15 points at the start of their 2007-08 season. It took three seasons for them to revive themselves from the shocks and were promoted to the Championship in 2010, after a series of stellar performances from Jermaine Beckford.

It is a well-known fact in football that to achieve great things, teams require great stability in terms of players and managers.

One of the prime examples can be Manchester United, who were at the top when Sir Alex Ferguson was at the helm but hit rock bottom when he left.

Six seasons since his departure and the Red Devils have seen six different managers, including Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho.

Things are not different at Elland Road. Nineteen managers were at the helm since their last appearance in the Premier League. This was before Marcelo Bielsa came in and steadied the ship clear for the Whites.

When Leeds were promoted back to the second-tier, Neil Warnock was named in place of Simon Grayson. However, Neil Warnock couldn’t manage the side for more than one season and left Elland Road.

Brian McDermott followed Warnock’s departure. His fallout with the new owner of Leeds resulted in the appointment of David Hockday, who lasted only six games.

Darko Milanic, Neil Redfearn, Uwe Rosler, and Steve Evans ascended to the thorny throne at Elland Road and left at the same speed. Garry Monk almost took the side to the playoffs but failed to see his side playing in the knockouts. The manager left the side, promptly.

The appointment of Marcelo Bielsa changed their fortune.

There is a saying: “There is always light at the end of the tunnel”. This happened to be true in the case of Leeds United. The club appointed Marcelo Bielsa at the start of the 2018-19 season. He was destined to achieve big things with the club.

Marco Bielsa is known for his work with Argentina, Chile, and Atletico Madrid. The Leeds United fans were excited about his arrival at Elland Road. And, Marco Bielsa didn’t disappoint his fans. Bielsa employed high-tempo pressing and incisive passing tactics, which were difficult for other teams to cope with.

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Leeds United were all set for promotion in 2018-19 after they found themselves in the top two for most of the season. Sadly, their run was derailed with back-t- back losses and slipped into a playoff position. Frank Lampard’s Derby County knocked them out with a 4-3 victory in the playoffs.

There was a fear among the fans that the failure to achieve promotion would mark the end of Bielsa’s regime. It wasn’t the case and Marcelo Bielsa stayed with the Whites. After all the hard work and persistence, Leeds are back into the Premier League to renew their hostilities with their old foes and make new ones too.

After a hard-fought promotion, it all boils down to the transfer market for Marcelo Bielsa and his men. The manager has to be careful and sign players like that of Chris Wilder, who is fighting for a European spot after just getting promotion, rather than indulging in a relegation battle.

Is it this a new beginning for Leeds United or a one-season appearance for them? Only time can tell!