Sky Sports pundit Keith Andrews has said that the young bench that Leeds put out in the play-off semi-final against Derby was “incredible”.
Talking during the live coverage of the game (Sky Sports, Saturday, 5pm), Andrews was comparing the two benches and looking to see how the managers could change things up with the score delicately poised at 0-0 at half-time.
“The one you’d look at is Izzy Brown… and Jack Clarke,” said Andrews, “but it’s a very inexperienced bench.
“The average age of the bench is 19, which is incredible for a championship play-off semi final.
“Derby have game-changers like [Tom] Huddlestone in midfield and the pace and energy of [Mason] Bennett.”
OPINION
The young Leeds players have been one of the important parts of the season under Marcelo Bielsa. Jack Clarke made the breakthrough into the first-team but has struggled to make the same impact after time out with a virus. Jamie Shackleton is another and he was introduced earlier than Bielsa would have liked in the game on Saturday, after Adam Forshaw was withdrawn with an injury. He performed superbly, as he always does for Leeds. So, yes the bench was young, but there was bags of talent there. And, despite missing Patrick Bamford and Tyler Roberts, Leeds were by far the best team in the first leg of the play-off semi-final and are now overwhelming favourites to go through to Wembley. They’ve now beaten Derby three times this season but this was by the slimmest margin and Kemar Roofe warned about complacency afterwards. Taking a one-goal lead to Elland Road is as good as they could have hoped for though and it’s half the job done for Bielsa.