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Birmingham City boss Garry Monk discusses Leeds promotion
that he believes Leeds United belong in the Premier League, ahead of Saturday’s fixture between the two sides – but are they mind games?
Leeds go into Saturday’s clash after an excellent victory over bitter rivals Millwall. The Lions went ahead twice against Marcelo Bielsa’s side, only for the Whites to run out 3-2 victors.
Sheffield United’s loss to Bristol City saw Leeds leapfrog Chris Wilder’s side back into second place. With seven games left, Leeds are two points ahead of the third-placed Blades.
Former Leeds boss Monk, who managed the Whites during the 2016-17 campaign and narrowly missed out on finishing in the play-off places, reckons Leeds belong in the Premier League due to the club’s stature.
“The foundation was always there to kick on, it’s a huge club,” . “That type of club needs to be in the Premier League. As a former manager, it’s good to see they have invested in the squad.
“They’ve learnt from some mistakes that they made last season. They’ve invested really well in the squad this season, they’ve put themselves in a great position. It’ll be a tough game for us, but we need to show what we’re about.”
TBR’s view – Monk playing games?
Monk’s comments can be taken one of two ways. Either that he still holds plenty of affection towards Leeds, or that is playing mind games by piling the pressure on Bielsa’s side.
Leeds are already under intense pressure from expectant fans to end their 15-year wait for Premier League football. Even some pundits have claimed that the pressure is more than Norwich and Sheffield United.
With seven games left, they have coped with it. But Monk claiming they “need to be in the Premier League” could be seen as a tactic to increase the already enormous pressure on Leeds.
