One of the buzzwords around Marcelo Bielsa and Leeds’ promotion bid all season has been ‘burnout’. 

Bielsa’s men recently dropped out of the promotion spots and the rest of the country immediately deemed Leeds ‘bottlers’. 

The Whites were defeated by a heroic Sheffield United away performance at Elland Road.

Now, promotion is less likely, and ‘burnout’ could well occur for Leeds. 

Many argued that the international break came at the wrong time due to Leeds’ lack of chance to turn around the results. 

I would argue, though, that the break is perfect for Leeds and can prevent the burnout.

If you learned one thing from ‘Spygate’ - which probably doesn’t even need inverted commas anymore - it should be that Bielsa is meticulous.

He will drum instructions to his players every day, and as much as physically, they will be mentally fatigued.

With just a handful of games remaining in the league, this break is perfect.

The players can put their feet up, spend some time with family, and try to turn their brains off from the promotion race.

Obviously, they will be in training most days, but the attention away from the promotion race will be vital.

Leeds may be third heading into April, but promotion is still highly likely, and many still would expect Sheffield United to falter. 

The international break is crucial and will be vital in mental recovery for Bielsa’s men.