Worrying table-topping Leeds United statistic actually a sign of progress under Jesse Marsch

Traditional football fans and modern-day supporters clash plenty on topics regarding the sport that unifies them.

Expected Goals, counter-pressing and double-pivot are all terms at odds with the vernacular of a more seasoned spectator, weaned on a diet of Match of the Day coverage and once-weekly live games.

The proliferation of televised football at all hours of the day, contested in far-flung destinations to sometimes at the end of the street, has broadened horizons and sowed division, owing to the different viewpoints, perspectives and lenses a game of football is observed through.

But one thing is true of the new-age supporter and the age-old terrace fan: everybody loves a dribbler.

There is a reason Diego Maradona’s one legal goal against England at FIFA World Cup 1986 and Archie Gemmill’s strike versus the Netherlands in 1978 are renowned as two of the competition’s most revered finishes.

The mesmeric ducking and weaving of an attacking player evading challenge after challenge, dodging flailing legs and buttress-like arms, is a sight to behold in any footballing arena.

The dribble is one of football’s timelessly captivating moves, where eyes become fixated upon one singular, dynamic point on the pitch.

Depending upon how it is contextualised, ‘dribbles’ can take on greater or lesser importance.

Football data provider Opta define a dribble as: “an attempt by a player to beat an opponent when they have possession of the ball. A successful dribble means the player beats the defender while retaining possession, unsuccessful ones are where the dribbler is tackled.”

To execute a successful dribble, the player with the ball must beat an opponent whilst keeping possession.

In the Premier League this season, no team has been dribbled past quite as often as Leeds United.

The idea of opposition players skipping past Leeds challenges en masse is somewhat concerning and upon initial inspection, hardly a praiseworthy aspect of United’s performances.

In six matches, Leeds have been dribbled past a total of 75 times, averaging out at 12.5 occasions per game, or every seven minutes, according to FBRef.

Despite this, Leeds are bettered only by Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool when it comes to the number of ‘carries’ they have allowed their opponents.

A ‘carry’ can be defined as a dribble without beating an opponent.

This data suggests Leeds are allowing the opposition very little time in possession and when an opponent does take receipt of the ball, they are pressed by multiple Whites players.

The fact Leeds have been ‘dribbled past’ so often this season is a symptom of the style head coach Jesse Marsch has tried, evidently quite successfully, to implement.

A key component of Leeds’ playing methodology under the American is Marsch’s S.A.R.D – an acronym used to easily explain what his team are expected to do out of possession.

The ‘S’ is relatively straightforward and stands for ‘Sprinting’, highlighting the effort levels required.

‘A’ becomes a little more complicated, and references ‘Alle Gemeinsam’ which translates from German as ‘all in’, encouraging multiple players to harass the opponent in possession.

‘R’ stands for ‘Reingehen’, which roughly means ‘going in’ and signifies a commitment to attack the ball.

‘D’ stands for ‘Dazukommen’, which literally translates as ‘to arrive’ but in Marsch’s acronym, embodies the second wave of the press.

This form of creative Germanic initialism has a practical bearing on Leeds’ performance data this season, namely the number of times they have been dribbled past.

By urging several Leeds players at once to converge on the man in possession, on occasions when the opponent bypasses the Leeds press with a dribble, they have completed multiple dribbles in doing so.

For example, if Robin Koch, Mateusz Klich and Junior Firpo all make a simultaneous attempt to press a Chelsea player into giving up possession, but the Blues’ man escapes with the ball still at his feet, three dribbles will have been completed.

In turn, this artificially inflates the number of successful dribbles against Leeds and is a quirk of mainstream football data collection, rather than a slight towards Leeds’ ability to defend.

Upon arriving at Thorp Arch, Marsch sought to do away with the man-orientated approach that had been ingrained within the players at Leeds.

After just 19 games in charge, there are signs such that United are evolving.

Defensively, the team are more secure, conceding fewer shots and fewer goals. Goalkeeper Illan Meslier is making fewer saves, too, indicating there is a correlation linked to an improved structure at the back.

Marsch’s work on the training ground implementing S.A.R.D has been reflected in the data, in more areas than simply dribbles.

Leeds' opponents have carried the ball into Meslier’s penalty area just 23 times this season, the fifth-lowest in the Premier League.

This indicates that even though United are being dribbled past often, they are not being penetrated in areas which are likely to create danger.

Marsch will insist there are tweaks still to be made within the squad in achieving a full understanding of his pressing style, but the greatest compliment that can be paid to the head coach is that his ideas have taken root.