Phil Hay can’t understand Jesse Marsch’s decision to substitute striker Joe Gelhardt in Leeds’ 2-1 defeat at Arsenal last Sunday.
The 20-year-old was named in the starting line-up for a Premier League game for just the third time this season at the Emirates Stadium.
Leeds imploded in north London falling two goals down inside 10 minutes and were reduced to 10-men as Luke Ayling saw red with less than a half-hour played.
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Marsch needed to get a defender on the pitch so Gelhardt was sacrificed to allow for Pascal Struijk to enter the fray but Hay admitted he was baffled by the American’s decision.
Speaking on the latest episode of The Phil Hay Show (May 13th) he said:
(18:10) “I found it strange afterward that Marsch was saying, you know I took him off because of circumstances but also he hadn’t looked particularly sharp.
“I didn’t see any way that Gelhardt was gonna get into the game in that half-hour.
“I had a look at his touch map and he didn’t touch the ball anywhere near Arsenal’s box and Leeds were barely out of their half and from what he said the strategy seemed to be let’s keep it as tight as we can, ultra-tight, hope we nick something in the second half as they did from Llorente and then try and do Arsenal on the counter-attack.
TIF Thoughts on Gelhardt and Leeds…
Chances have been few and far between for the youngster with his most recent start prior to the game actually coming in the reverse 4-1 defeat at Elland Road back in December where Gelhardt won a penalty.
The Englishman played the last 12 minutes against Chelsea in the week and proved a useful outlet which Hay felt he could have been at the Gunners.
He created the only big chance of the game for the Yorkshire club (SofaScore) but as the journalist wrote the squad may have lost ‘three wingers in 90 abject minutes’ as Raphinha and Jack Harrison both hobbled off following Dan James’ sending off on Wednesday so he should get another chance to prove himself from the start on Sunday against Brighton.