February’s riposte to any concerns surrounding Leeds United’s quiet transfer window just got a bigger platform to play out on.
With no senior additions to the squad during last month’s 31 days of business, attention turns to the league table, where Leeds stand with 17 games to go and which players will be fit enough to play a crucial role.
The seven-point gap to the drop zone and four-point void to 10th place provides some comfort, but only if the existing squad gets some way close to fully fit and the matches immediately after January keep morale high.
Enough points have been produced by this threadbare squad in this season up to this point to believe the club will pull further away from the trapdoor in the coming three months.
The loss to Newcastle United slightly knocked the momentum which came out of the Burnley and West Ham United victories, but it can be regained quickly.
The highs in the week after the West Ham win were the closest we have come to the elation and marvelling which punctuated last year’s unforgettable romp to ninth.
The feeling going into the eminently winnable Newcastle game at Elland Road was of an opportunity to seal the third consecutive win, and push towards mid-table in front of a home crowd yearning for the highs they missed in 2020/21.
With the squad refreshed and revitalised by a two-and-a-half-week break going into the Aston Villa trip, there is every reason to believe February can be that platform they need.
That was before Liverpool were shoehorned into the calendar by the Premier League today.
Villa are freshly, expensively reinforced and finding Steven Gerrard’s way. Everton are reinforced and hoping for a Frank Lampard bounce in his Goodison Park league bow.
Then comes Manchester United at Elland Road. The match most Whites fans have been waiting for ever since Emile Smith Rowe promoted them in July 2020. Ralf Rangnick’s side have individual accolades, but are under-performing.
It was then supposed to be Antonio Conte’s resurgent Tottenham Hotspur. A tough assignment on its own, but try it three days after a trip to Jurgen Klopp’s title challengers.
It’s easy to be daunted by that quintet of clashes, but Marcelo Bielsa will embrace them and the opportunities they provide. He yearns for the toughest tests and their best XIs.
He couldn’t wish for a better chance to prove his team is only going in one direction.
