'I give myself time' - Andrea Radrizzani assesses Leeds United's start to the Premier League season - YEP 16/10/21
Andrea Radrizzani believes Leeds United are "alive" after a first win of the season against Watford two weeks ago.
By Joe Urquhart
The Whites majority owner saw his Elland Road outfit topple
the visiting Hornets last time out ahead of the October international break.
Marcelo Bielsa's men claimed victory at the seventh attempt
in the Premier League following a tricky start to the new campaign that has
seen Leeds plagued with a number of injuries.
Leeds travel to winless Southampton this afternoon looking
to make it back-to-back three-point hauls at St Mary's on the south coast.
United will be without last season's top goalscorer Patrick
Bamford while Luke Ayling is still missing with a knee injury.
Adam Forshaw returns in the wake of a muscle problem though
long-term absentee Robin Koch has travelled to the United States for surgery.
Key midfielder Kalvin Phillips faces a late fitness test
after a calf strain and Brazilian winger Raphinha is hopeful of being involved
having played for his nation in the early hours of Friday morning in South
America.
"I told myself from the beginning that this season
would be more difficult than the last one," Radrizzani told Sky News,
assessing the Whites start to the 2021/22 season.
"I give myself time until the end of October to
understand where we are. In the last game we won against Watford which shows
again the club is alive and the team is alive and that we play good football.
"We have time to get more points. It wasn't an easy
start but I'm confident in the team and the group of players. This is probably
the most difficult season after the debut season in the Premier League, where
we arrived ninth in the standings.
"Next year I think staying in the Premier League we
will have a much more consolidated position again. The club is strong and the
brand is big - it's global. We have amazing fans, so we have everything to
succeed."
