Opta show Leeds United, Sunderland and Burnley have dispelled the promotion myth

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Leeds United were joined by Sunderland and Burnley in the Premier League, with the majority expecting at least two of the promoted trio to immediately drop back down.

The last six promoted teams from the Championship have all been relegated from the Premier League straight away, highlighting the size of the task for Leeds United and their promoted counterparts.

In some ways, there is almost a sense of unity between them. That’s despite all being desperate to finish above one another. It’s up to them to prove neutrals wrong with their assessment of immediate relegation.

It’s an impressive points tally so far for Daniel Farke’s men, with Leeds’ points total compared to recently-relegated sides. They have not been inside the relegation zone so far, despite the fact Sunderland and Burnley both outspent Leeds.

That said, Leeds, Burnley, and Sunderland have all had positive starts in one way or another, given how they were discussed before a ball was kicked throughout the summer.

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Opta’s data suggests major improvement from Leeds, Sunderland and Burnley

Even without Burnley, Leeds and Sunderland are setting records in the Premier League. Their starts have been particularly impressive, sending somewhat of a shockwave through to the rest of the division.

However, Opta believe Leeds are a better side than Sunderland. That is in spite of the fact that the Black Cats are sitting above Farke’s side in the league table at present, with an international break hitting at the seven-game mark.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
9	SunderlandSunderland	7	3	2	2	7	6	1	11
10	Manchester UnitedManchester United	7	3	1	3	9	11	-2	10
11	NewcastleNewcastle	7	2	3	2	6	5	1	9
12	BrightonBrighton	7	2	3	2	10	10	0	9
13	Aston VillaAston Villa	7	2	3	2	6	7	-1	9
14	FulhamFulham	7	2	2	3	8	11	-3	8
15	LeedsLeeds	7	2	2	3	7	11	-4	8
16	BrentfordBrentford	7	2	1	4	9	12	-3	7
17	Nottingham ForestNottingham Forest	7	1	2	4	5	12	-7	5
18	BurnleyBurnley	7	1	1	5	7	15	-8	4
19	West HamWest Ham	7	1	1	5	6	16	-10	4
20	WolvesWolves	7	0	2	5	5	14	-9	2

Pundits are changing their minds on the newly-promoted trio, with Opta now expecting Leeds to survive relegation as well. It’s their latest update which shows that we should dispel the myth that promoted teams cannot compete.

Per analyst Jon Mackenzie of The Athletic and Tifo Football, each team is doing just that. The football tactics and data expert uses Opta’s data to explain exactly why using the expected goal difference figure.

He wrote: The promoted teams this season are much more consciously defensive than the promoted teams last season. What’s most interesting, though, is that being so hasn’t affected their goal threat compared to the more ambitious teams from last season.”

After seven matchdays, the newly-promoted have a non-penalty xGD which is 15.4xG better than last season’s. They also have 12 more points, showing both actual results and the performances themselves are both much stronger on the whole.

• READ MORE: The Daniel Farke XI that has now been named 4x as often as iconic 1970s Leeds United team under Don Revie

Leeds’ next five fixtures are particularly crucial

Not only is this fact true regarding the underlying data, but Opta believe Leeds are in the midst of an easier fixture run than their start to the campaign as well. It could get even better for them soon.

The caveat to that is that these games are also huge for their opposition, which is not always necessarily ‘easier’, even if they appear to be weaker in terms of their league position and performance data.

The fixture after Aston Villa at home is a clash which then begins a tough run of fixtures. But Leeds have a chance to put some points on the board and a run together before then.