Noel Whelan thinks Marcelo Bielsa brought with him exactly what the Leeds United players needed to perform – the scare factor.
The Argentine resisted the urge to make wholesale changes to his squad when he took over at Elland Road in the summer, but has produced remarkable performances from a side that finished mid-table in the Championship last term.
Leeds are now top of the tree following a 1-0 win at Bolton Wanderers on Saturday and Whelan knows Bielsa is getting much more from the current crop than previous head coaches managed.
And the former White believes that Bielsa brought the scare factor with him, making the players work hard.
"The biggest change is the mentality of the players, they look fitter, they look like they know what they're doing", Whelan said on BBC Radio Leeds following the weekend win.
"Maybe they needed a manager like Marcelo Bielsa to come in; someone with that little bit more of a scare factor, with that kind of experience, someone they are going to work hard for.
"They seem to have a plan on the ball and off the ball and nothing seems to faze them at the moment.
"He has given them a style of play and they are listening to him; and he is getting the substitutions bang on", he added.
Bielsa brought Patrick Bamford off the bench at Bolton to fire Leeds to victory.
The Whites face another test next weekend when they travel to Villa Park to face Aston Villa.
