Leeds United’s Mr Reliable Stuart Dallas has outlined how he is relishing playing in a side where there is tremendous pressure to produce results.

Since the arrival of Marcelo Bielsa, the Whites have been transformed from a mid-table side to consistent promotion contenders over the past 18 months. Last season saw Leeds narrowly miss out on automatic promotion with just a handful of games remaining, before a dramatic exit in the play-off semi-finals.

This season has seen Leeds pick up where they left off for the majority of last season, immediately announcing themselves as one of the teams to beat and one of the major candidates for the title.

One player who has been an integral part to the strong start this season has been Stuart Dallas, who has had to deputise in a number of positions already due to injuries to other key players. Dallas has been immense in right-back and wing-back, left-back and central midfield, putting in consistent performances to keep Leeds fighting at the top end of the table.

There is an expectation that Leeds will stay in the automatic promotion race all season and actually achieve it this time. When asked in the club’s official programme about what it’s like to play in this environment, he said:  “I love it, I love playing and playing under the pressure of a club like this.

“It’s no secret the pressure here is huge, some players thrive under it and some people don’t, but it is one I love playing under.  

“We were in touching distance of promotion last season and it is something we want to push on with and achieve this year. 

“We’ve started the season pretty well, we probably should have a lot more points than we have, but hopefully we can continue on our good run.”

The Verdict

Dallas and Leeds have been under tremendous pressure to deliver promotion at Elland Road ever since Marcelo Bielsa arrived, but the players don’t seem to buckling under that weight of expectation this season as much.

Last season was horrific for the club having come so close to promotion, but they will know that they can’t afford to be as naive this season with even more pressure on them.