Sam Byram has stressed that Leeds United must aim to be ‘the fittest team in the Premier League’ if they are to have a chance of staying in the top-flight this season.
Leeds have spent most of the first fortnight of pre-season at their Thorp Arch training base, before drawing 0-0 against Man Utd in a friendly in Stockholm on Saturday.
Daniel Farke’s side now travel to Germany for a week, where they will play two friendlies behind closed doors as part of a warm-weather training camp.
‘The intensity (in pre-season) has been a lot harder this year, which you’d expect coming back to prepare for the Premier League,’ said Byram.
‘There’s obviously not as many games as there is in the Championship but for us, fitness is going to be huge. If we can be the fittest team in the league, then it can only help us. So it’s something that everyone’s been working really hard on – there’s a lot of tired legs and tired bodies but we’re through the second week and looking forward to the camp,’ the Leeds defender added.
Tactically, Byram insists that Farke’s style will be similar to the possession-based football that saw Leeds win the Championship last season, with a record-breaking 100 points.
Sam Byram has stressed that Leeds United must aim to be ‘the fittest team in the Premier League ’
Leeds began their preparations for the top-flight season with a 0-0 draw with Man United
Byram claimed that Leeds’ style in the Premier League will be similar to their Championship campaign
‘It (the football) will be very similar to last season,’ he said. ‘The style of football we want to play – possession based, that’s in our DNA and that’s how we want to play. It’s a huge step up and it’s obviously a much more competitive league so there’s obviously areas that you can’t play the same as in the Championship but it’s something we’ve been working on since day one,’ added Byram.
And with the last six promoted teams all going straight back down to the Championship, Byram stressed that he and his teammates are already aware of the challenge that lies ahead. The 31-year-old signed a new one-year deal with his boyhood club earlier this month.
‘We’re not under any illusion. We know how hard it is to stay in the Premier League,’ said Byram. ‘This season, we’ve got a lot more time to prepare for each game so to have for the most part, a full week to prepare will be very beneficial. Every single point matters and we’ll do everything to get as many points as we can.’
Leeds begin their return to the Premier League with Everton travelling to Elland Road on Monday August 18.
