Leeds: A Worthy Opener – YNWA
There are 19 possible oppositions for a league opener, Leeds United with their performance on Saturday proved to be the most worthy of them all.
Coming back to the Premier League after a sixteen-year wait, Leeds gained promotion as champions of the EFL Championship. They did this while playing attractive, expansive, and exciting football.
As a fan of Liverpool F.C, it is often tiring watching opponents set up negatively against Liverpool. At Anfield or away from home, teams repeatedly refuse to come out and engage Liverpool.
As much as I selfishly want Liverpool to come flying out of the blocks and blow the opposition away, watching only one team do all the attacking gets boring before the end of fifty minutes.
On a positive note though, Liverpool performs better when the opposition is willing to engage them. That is also the only way Liverpool can lose a game.
Leeds might have lost the match, but they earned themselves plaudits, supporters, and sympathizers with their style of play on Saturday. Norwich did the same on the opening day of last season, but they lacked grit and bite.
This Leeds team seems to have the right blend of youthful exuberance fueled athletism and invaluable experience that comes with performing at an elite level for a reasonable amount of time. Norwich was more athletic but their inexperience cost them repeatedly.
Marcelo Bielsa has done well with his tactics. Their quarterback style of attack is sure to cause a lot of teams trouble this season. I hope Liverpool finds a way around that attacking style before the second leg comes up.
With each lead being equalized, Saturday opener would have frightened me some years ago. But with Jurgen Klopp having drilled this team to be more resilient, I am more assured.
As much as I want the remaining thirty-seven league games of this season to be as exciting as the opener, I hope Liverpool emerges as champions again. Going unbeaten would be a welcomed bonus.
Wilson Joshua is a Video Editor, Content Creator, and Creative Writer.
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