Nineteen teams are played twice across a nine-month period. Leeds United’s fixtures for 2022/23 have been released, but we all know it’s virtually the same drill every season.
The great difference with the new campaign is the small matter of an enforced six-week pause to allow for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. That break will blow a hole in the schedule and leave a fascinating dynamic to play out when the clubs return to league action.
The first impression from the first glance at the list is a promising start for the Whites. Chelsea will be the only top-five finisher of last season in the opening two months of action.
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Manchester United still represent a strong test on paper in mid-September, but generally, it’s an appetising opening seven matches with plenty of opportunities for Leeds to get points on the board. Wolverhampton Wanderers’ early retirement to the beach last season saw their stock plummet, but they will surely have their act together by the time they open up in West Yorkshire.
Of course, time will tell which matches are going to be easier or harder, but based on 21/22’s finishing positions, Southampton, Everton, Brentford and Nottingham Forest across the opening seven games should raise hopes. Having those points on the board early will not only settle nerves, but keep the wolf from the door before the screw is turned down the run-in.
There are none of the horror streaks we saw last term when Leeds faced the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal in consecutive weeks. It was those runs which piled the most pressure on Marcelo Bielsa last season.
The final four matches would suggest Leeds need to be home and hosed far earlier than they were in 21/22. City, cash-rich Newcastle United, West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur are all crammed into May. Before those final four, trips to Fulham and Bournemouth in April should provide some essential relief because that month starts with the Gunners and Liverpool too.
The World Cup effect may provide some opportunity for the Whites. Firstly, they should have fewer players away at the competition than many of their rivals and, secondly, the fixtures are kind after the restart.
If you could have handpicked a time to play one of the big boys, it would have been immediately after an international tournament in a sweltering country, several thousand miles away, where their best players are emotionally and physically drained.
You are hardly sticking a tenner on Leeds to win right now, but City at Elland Road on Boxing Day will present its opportunities for the Whites. As will the start to 2023.
Between the champions on Boxing Day and Chelsea on March 4, Leeds will not play any of last term’s top five. Man United and West Ham will visit Elland Road, but Aston Villa, Brentford, Forest, Everton and Southampton all make for a very welcoming start to the new year while squads try to find their rhythm after the break.
