13-goal Leeds United man's honest Sheffield United and Burnley point as 'job done' promotion warning sent
Leeds United have the edge on their Championship promotion rivals as things stand.
Joel Piroe insists Leeds United have to ‘get the job done’ in winning automatic promotion from the Championship this season, rather than relying on the chaos of play-off football.
Piroe was part of the Leeds team who suffered Wembley heartbreak in May of last year, with a 1-0 defeat against Southampton consigning them to another year of second-tier football. The Dutch striker saw several of his teammates leave for top-flight football elsewhere over the summer, with a repeat this time round potentially catastrophic for the club’s Premier League ambitions.
Fortunately, Leeds have put themselves in an excellent position to fight for promotion once again, with last week’s dominant 2-0 win at Coventry City opening up a five-point gap to third-placed Burnley. And in his second campaign at Elland Road, Piroe knows how important a top-two finish will prove come May.
"We are now at 31 matches and the competition has 46 rounds,” Piroe told Dutch outlet ad.nl over the weekend. “So this is a long season. Everyone in Leeds is mainly focused on promotion. And that should work this season. Two clubs go straight to the Premier League. The champions and the runners-up. Then there are the play-offs, with the final at Wembley. The €350million match. That comes with promotion in television money, ticket sales and sponsorship.
"Well, I'm not looking forward to the play-offs. We lost the final to Southampton last year. It was a disaster, of course. But with the play-offs, the season also lasts a month longer. And an English football year already consists of sixty matches. No, we just have to get the job done right away."
Doing so will be no easy task, however, with all of the current top three tracking towards 90-plus points and Sunderland not far behind. The race for automatic promotion looks set to go right down to the wire once again, with Leeds one of four serious contenders.
But the consensus for much of this season, mostly among opposition managers and players, is that Leeds have proven to be a cut above the rest with their combination of an iron-clad defence and electric attack unmatched. And Piroe believes his side’s quality going forward could prove the difference when compared to two of their closest rivals.
"Burnley and Sheffield United play more from the defence,” Leeds’ top-scorer added. “That way they do get results, you know. But we force the victories more, I think. For me, the attack is also more fun. It's a fight every week. Usually I'm up against two wardrobes.
“In England, the defenders are always physically strong. And they throw themselves for every ball. That dedication is much more in there than in the Netherlands. But I have the best job in professional football. As a striker you can score and then you're the celebrated man. Isn't that great? I'm living my dream here."