After missing out on promotion last season, Leeds United managed to pull off a significant coup by keeping Marcelo Bielsa this season.
The Argentine has quickly become a fan favourite at Elland Road, with his exciting brand of football putting Leeds closer to the Premier League than they’ve been in years.
Last year it looked like Leeds would dominate the Championship, and they did for much of the campaign, before a disappointing end to the season saw them defeated in the playoffs and miss out on promotion.
Missing out on the Premier League undeniably hurt everyone involved with the club but goalkeeper Kiko Casillo says they’ve used it as a way to learn their lessons and improve.
“As a way to learn from what we did well, many things, and improve what we didn’t,” he told AS when asked how they viewed the campaign.
“It was a big blow, but football is sometimes that treacherous and cruel. You spend a few weeks f*****, but then you have to reset your head and try again.
“(We needed to) create more in the last matches. This league is not easy; it is very, very competitive.”
Promotion is again the aim for this season for Leeds, particularly after they managed to keep Bielsa for a second term.
They are already among the favourites for automatic promotion, with many predicting that a year under Bielsa will only make them a stronger outfit this year.
That’s an outlook that Casilla agrees with, saying the club must win every game they’re in.
“This year we will learn more about Bielsa’s style, and we have that obligation to win every game,” he added.
“A draw is no longer worth anything. We have that pressure, but we want it too. It will not be easy.”
