Journalist Conor McGilligan questioned Jesse Marsch for his decision to give Sam Greenwood more minutes than Joe Gelhardt for Leeds United.
In their last Premier League outing, the Whites suffered a 4-0 home defeat at the hands of Manchester City. In the game, Gelhardt came off the bench to have a positive impact. Indeed, he caused a stir by making one key pass as well as missing a big chance himself in what was only a 28-minute cameo (via SofaScore).
Despite his talent, Greenwood seems to be preferred by Marsch of late, and has played in each of the past three league games, wracking up 61 minutes of playing time – while Gelhardt has had to settle for just two substitute appearances in that time.
Who do you think will be a better player for Leeds?
Joe Gelhardt
Sam Greenwood
Speaking on the One Leeds Fan Channel, McGilligan said he ‘can’t stand’ the fact that Gelhardt is getting less game time than Greenwood and claimed that one player offers the team a lot more than the other.
Following concerns from a viewer that Gelhardt does not get involved on the ball in games as much as his talent perhaps deserves, McGilligan agreed, saying: “That’s where Jesse’s got to improve, to be honest. I can’t stand how many minutes this kid’s [Gelhardt] getting.
“How do I put this in a measured way? Greenwood is not a patch on Gelhardt.
“If you know football, and you’re watching a football player, he’s not a patch on him.
“I’m not bothered if Jesse’s coming out and saying he’s taken to his ideas more than any other player, that doesn’t mean he’s a better player than Joe Gelhardt.
“Joe Gelhardt is, in my opinion, a match-winner. He’s a game-winner.”
TIF Thoughts on Leeds and Joe Gelhardt…
Across the course of the league season, Gelhardt has scored twice and added three assists in 530 minutes. Greenwood has played far less – 140 minutes over five outings – but has still managed to provide two assists.
Interestingly enough, though, Greenwood has made all of his goal contributions while playing for Marsch, but Gelhardt has only scored once under the American.
It certainly seems as though Marsch enjoys coaching one of the two in particular as well. Indeed, he recently claimed that Greenwood is the member of the squad adapting best to his methods, as McGilligan alluded to.
The manager told LeedsLive: “First of all, Sam’s been really good since we’ve been here and I said to him two days ago that if I look at the entire player pool, he’s the one that’s adapting the best and understanding what we want the game to be like.”
Despite all that, it clearly sounds as though McGilligan views Gelhardt as the superior talent. It will be fascinating to watch the duo develop in the coming weeks and into next season as they both look to establish themselves as key members of the Leeds setup.
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