Leeds United's return to the Premier League can be summed up in two statistics. 

According to Understat, Marcelo Bielsa's side rank within the top three in the Premier League for both expected goals for and against, with their last two results highlighting their tactical approach better than any other. 

Putting five past Newcastle and conceding six against Manchester United, Leeds' defence has come in for criticism from the likes of Paul Merson. 

It must be stressed that Bielsa is missing his two big defensive signings - Robin Koch and Diego Llorente - through injury.

Indeed, Luke Ayling has recently had to operate outside of his usual right-back position and move centrally and the enigmatic Argentine coach has had to call on 21-year-old Pascal Struijk, who only made his first-team debut little over a year ago.

Phil Hay has previously reported that the club are unlikely to shop in the January window but not everyone is convinced that is the way to go. 

Speaking on the matter exclusively to GIVEMESPORT, former Elland Road man Carlton Palmer has claimed this period is 'sink or swim' for Leeds, given the problems encountered in defence. 

"You might found out about a player who can play in a different position, who can fill in for you and help you out until you get those players back," he said. 

"Or you find out he can't, you've got to move him on and get players in the January transfer window. 

"This is where you find out now. 

"It's sink or swim time, isn't it?"

GIVEMESPORT's Jonathan Gorrie says... 

Worries about Leeds' defence are warranted considering they've conceded the most (30) in the Premier League, even more than the struggling West Bromwich Albion. 

However, they did prove last season they can shut up shop defensively as they boasted the Championship's tightest backline, so do appear to have the ability to fix these issues. 

With players due back from injury in 2021, the picture could be much healthier a few months from now. 

Crucially, they're outscoring most of the middle pack in the Premier League, too. In fact, none of the bottom half of the table have bagged as many (24) as Bielsa's men, with even Manchester City three places below when ranking that metric. 

Luckily, they seem to have the firepower to combat any defensive issues at the moment.