Perhaps the biggest month in the last 20 years is upon Leeds United

In the days following Leeds United’s 4-0 defeat to Manchester City, the Whites have dropped another place in the table and another place closer to the drop. With four games to go, some believe the writing to already be on the wall, while others are more optimistic.

In the past year, Leeds have gone from the ninth-best team in the country, to a relegation fight. During that time, injuries have plagued the squad, and recruitment was somewhat lacklustre for a club that was so ambitious.

Marcelo Bielsa went from a man bigger than the club Andrea Radrizzani bought, to a jobless legend whose team had gone off the rails in an attempt to maintain the beautiful philosophies which had taken Leeds United to The Premier League.

The Argentine represented what all Leeds fans wanted in their football club. And not only that, it was how he made a squad of Championship misfits into Premier League and international players in their own right.

Jesse Marsch arrived to replace him, and brought a completely different energy. An American enthusiasm which has clearly grown on the Leeds support too. Somehow, his quite different style has amounted to a greater number of points from a number f relatively unmiraculous, and sometimes, quite poor performances.

But the problems remain, integral leaders in Stuart Dallas and Liam Cooper were lost in the game against Manchester City, and the teams around us have built momentum. Everton now have a game in hand and a chance to overtake Leeds, who have perhaps the most difficult run of all still in the fight for safety.

In the coming month, someone needs to step up in the absence of these leaders. Marsch quickly called the name of Kalvin Phillips in a bid for a greater role in the leadership of this team. In a time where his future is being discussed more than ever, we need him to stay in the moment.

Pascal Struijk and Diego Llorente in particular need to keep their heads. We all know just how good they are, but both seem to have some issues with confidence and concentration at the moment. Ayling is another integral part of the leadership core and he has a big role to play in the organisation of the Leeds defence.

Someone needs to take the role as Leeds’ striker by the scruff of the neck, much like Patrick Bamford does. Gelhardt and James are both similar in stature and energy, but they have quite different skill sets. James needs space, Gelhardt will throw himself into the tightest of spaces, risking losing the ball to make some magic happen. Perhaps this partnership has more potential than we realise. Add Rodrigo, Raphinha, and Harrison into the mix, and things might click, though each and every player must be mentally sound before we even start talking about tactics.

Regardless, we must stick with this club, no matter what happens. When it’s all said and done, we can then debate our feelings about the board, their decision-making, the players, and where the club will go next. But for now, we must stick together and back this team.