'Written us off' - Leeds United man reveals dressing room mindset ahead of Leicester City showdown — YEP 17/2/24
Leeds United man Ethan Ampadu says the squad are taking nothing for granted despite winning eight in-a-row in the Championship.
By Joe Donnohue
Leeds' quest for promotion has seen the side go unbeaten for
an eleventh successive game since the turn of the year, winning all eight of
their Championship fixtures during that period. The Whites clinched their
latest victory on the road at Plymouth Argyle, a ground where earlier this
month Daniel Farke's men had to rely on extra time to secure passage to the
next round of the FA Cup after back-to-back 1-1 draws in 90 minutes.
United's form has coincided with Welsh international Ethan
Ampadu dropping into central defence, in the absence of the injured Pascal
Struijk. The 23-year-old has developed a strong defensive partnership alongside
countryman Joe Rodon, keeping clean sheets in seven of Leeds' last eight,
including in each of their last five.
"Let's not jinx it, but we've got our belief in the
team. It's obviously good that we've won five on the spin so as long as that
keeps going it's happy days," Ampadu told reporters at full-time.
"Of course there's still a long way to go in the
season. Really and truly it only matters if you finish top two at the end of
the season so for now we take it game-by-game. It might sound a bit cliche but
that's the reality of how it is."
During Ampadu's professional career, he has shared the pitch
with Joe Rodon for 5,300 minutes - more than any other player.
"Me and Joe go way back, played together for Wales
quite a few times as well, we've got a pretty good understanding at the
moment," he said. "When one goes forward one covers, it's all about
covering for each other," Ampadu added, discussing his link-up with Leeds'
on-loan Wales man at centre-half.
The £7 million summer signing insisted there would be no
getting carried away within the dressing room on the back of recent results,
though, repeating the line uttered by Farke at several previous points this
season.
"A few weeks ago, everyone had kind of - not written us
off - but no one really spoke about us. And just because we're here now at this
stage, it doesn't mean we're all going to get excited. The league table only
really matters when it comes to the end of the season after the final whistle.
For now it's just doing the hard work to get us the best chance."