Why deja vu isn't all bad for Leeds

Saturdays game against Derby followed an all too familiar pattern for Leeds fans, particularly those who have witnessed the home games this season. While this feeling of deja vu frustrates and angers Leeds fans, it could be argued that even in dropping points, Leeds fans are still in a fortunate position.

In the 2005/06 season, Reading secured over 100 points, a record for the Championship. They lost two games and drew thirteen. In 2016/17 Newcastle were the runaway winners of the Championship. They lost ten games and drew seven. Last season, Norwich City were champions. They lost six games and drew thirteen. The Championship is a tough league, it is a grind, 46 games against teams where it is rare for a club to stand out as inferior to their counterparts. It is a fact that even the most successful teams in the division lose games and drop points.

Marcelo Bielsa has earned himself a worldwide reputation for being a pioneer of management, and his work at Leeds United has quickly gained them the tag of 'best team in the division'. This tag was applied in isolated instances last season but has become a recurring theme in the early stages of this season. Leeds are widely admired and expected to be competing at the top end of the table throughout the campaign. Despite this though, they will drop points,

In their most recent home game against Derby, Leeds enjoyed 64% possession and had 13 shots on goal - their opponents managed just one shot on target all game, enough to earn them a 1-1 draw. The previous home game to that saw the Elland Road men face Swansea. 62% possession for Leeds, 21 shots on goal. Swansea registered just two efforts on target but wandered off with a 1-0 win. Similar statistics applied for the first home game of the season against Nottingham Forest, a game that also ended 1-1.

It is clear where Leeds weaknesses are and why they drop points. A failure to convert their chances and the ability to conceded the softest of goals from limited chances against. In fact statistics show Leeds create far more chances than the rest of the teams in the division, and give up far less chances to the opposition than the rest of the league. This has led to increasng frustration amongst the fanbase who long for a Premier League return. However, rather than getting frustrated, Leeds fans should be embracing this and enjoying it.

We have shown that even the most successful teams in this league drop points, and at the moment Leeds are dropping points by dominating large portions of the games and playing some great football. Dropping points is inevitable, enjoying most of the games when this happens is a luxury! Would fans have preffered the Swansea game to be a dire borefest where Swansea take all three points and Leeds fail to create anything worthwhile? Would they rather see repeats of some of the shocking defeats from recent times. conceding five at Barnsley and six at Sheffield Wednesday?

Nobody likes watching their team get stuffed, or their team produce zero entertainment and Leeds fans are fortunate that since Bielsa's arrival it could be argued only West Brom have inflicted a heavy defeat on them and at no time has the football been boring. Chances will be missed, soft goals conceded, and points dropped but the Leeds fans will continue to be entertained - so embrace it, enjoy the journey, and just keep those fingers crossed that this journey has a happy ending.