Leeds United defender Liam Cooper has claimed that the club are better prepared to compete for promotion this season, than they were in the previous campaign.

Last year, a run of just one point from their final four league games cost Leeds an automatic promotion place, before that dramatic play-off semi-final collapse against Derby County ultimately ended their hopes of a return to the top flight for another 12 months.

This season, Marcelo Bielsa's side are currently third in the Championship standings, outside the automatic promotion places on goal difference, and Cooper believes that what happened last year will benefit him and his teammates in the current campaign.

Speaking to the Yorkshire Evening Post about the pressure of being one of the favourites for promotion this season, Cooper said: “Expectation is a massive thing, especially over the last 18 months, it’s gone to a whole new level.

“As a group, we’ve become accustomed to it. We know what we’ve got to do on the pitch, how we approach it."

Explaining how past events have helped him and his teammates to cope with that, the centre back continued: “The bad experience of last year has turned into a positive this year, we’re a lot more well-equipped to deal with those bad results, bad moments.

“As a group now we know what we need to do to improve.

“We know what it means – the dressing room after a win is unbelievable."

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Indeed, it seems Cooper feels that the pressure around Elland Road in particular is hard for some players to cope with, as he claimed: “The expectation at Leeds always gets magnified.

“There’s an expectation here and some people can’t deal with it, they go under.

“You’ve got to have that grit about you to roll your sleeves up and know you’re not just playing for yourself but the fans. Players, managers come and go but fans, the next generation will always be here, we’ve got to take their expectation on and do everything we can for this club.”

Following the November international break, Leeds will return to action on Saturday when they travel to Kenilworth Road to take on Luton Town.

The Verdict

I think Cooper is probably right here.

Having been so close yet ultimately so far from promotion last season, Leeds will at least have a better idea of just what they need to do this season if they are to win promotion to the Premier League this season.

As a result, the club do at least now have the opportunity to prepare for those sorts of situations, putting them in a better position to deal with those issues.

That however does not mean that promotion is guaranteed by any stretch, and they still have to put that theory into practice if they are to secure that place in the top-flight for next season, particularly with other sides likely to up their game against those competing right at the top of the division.