I've felt the promotion pressure at Leeds United and Daniel Farke's men are dealing with it really well
Stuart Dallas was pitchside as Leeds United dispatched Sheffield Wednesday.
Stuart Dallas is hugely impressed with how Leeds United are handling the promotion pressure after falling short in heart-breaking fashion last season.
Leeds were denied an instant return to the Premier League following May’s 1-0 play-off final defeat against Southampton, having missed out on automatic promotion despite racking up 90 points. The sales of Archie Gray, Crysencio Summerville and Georginio Rutter provided a stark reminder of what life is like outside the top-flight, with promotion a must this time round.
There was a similar feeling during the 2019/20 campaign in which Leeds looked to bounce back from that infamous play-off semi-final collapse against Derby, with another failure almost certainly leading to the departure of Marcelo Bielsa. Attempt number two was far from plain sailing but they got over the line comfortably in the end, with Dallas virtually ever-present.
Dallas promotion verdict
The much-loved former Elland Road regular was back in LS11 on Sunday, working for ITV as Leeds beat Sheffield Wednesday 3-0. As is often the case, Farke’s side refused to make it easy for themselves but Dallas knows how heavy the shirt can be, and insists the current crop are carrying it well.
“Fantastic result. It's never easy in a derby, form goes out the window a lot but Leeds did really well today,” he told ITV. “There’s huge expectation on these players to get promoted this season and they’re dealing with it really well.
“It's huge, I know from experience the pressure they’re under, especially having failed last year in a similar way to when I was there. We got beat in the play-off semi-final that time and then went up automatically next season. They're doing so well to stay around the top of the Championship and I hope they can really kick on and see out the rest of the season.”
Leeds’ home comforts
Leeds are much better-placed to avoid the chaos of play-offs this time round, with Sunday’s win taking them back to the top of the Championship. Farke’s side are now unbeaten in nine league games and sit three points clear of third-placed Burnley, who they face next Monday.
Victory over Wednesday was also a 10th in 11 unbeaten home games, a run in which they have taken 31 points from a possible 33 while conceding just three goals. Norwich City come to Elland Road on Wednesday evening and Dallas hopes those positive results can keep coming.
“They’re in a very strong position with another home game coming up on Wednesday night,” the former Whites man added. “We know how good they are at home, and three of their next five are at home, including Sunderland. They've got a really good chance of pressing on.
“It's what the best teams and the best players do, just keeping a good mentality to do it. To be able to dig out results when things aren't going well is huge. I think there's more in the team, I don't think they're playing as best they can, but it doesn't matter. It's just about getting results.”