‘Very very exciting’ – Jermaine Beckford admires £8.8k/wk Leeds star after Crawley display
Leeds United fell to a surprise 3-0 defeat against Crawley on Sunday but Jermaine Beckford was generous in his praise for Ian Poveda’s performance.
The former Whites striker cut an impressed figure at half-time when analysing the match for BBC’s Match of the Day.
Marcelo Bielsa’s side were level at the break and the 20-year-old caught the eye with a number of attempted dribbles and a cheeky nutmeg inside the Crawley penalty box.
He earned a number of plaudits from Beckford as a result, with the pundit suggesting most of Leeds’ joy had come through the winger.
Speaking for the BBC (1:04:25), Beckford said, “You look at Poveda going down the left-wing with Alioski, they’re brilliant.
“Absolutely beautiful, Poveda’s very very exciting, he’s a young talent. His end ball is what lets him down usually.
“Today’s he’s been very good, and been very positive, on the front foot constantly and he’s very sharp as well, but he’s looking for the runs in behind from Rodrigo, Pablo Hernandez and Costa, it’s brilliant.”
Mistake from Bielsa
Beckford’s assessment is right, Poveda provided energy on the left flank from the moment he received a pass just after the match kicked off.
His pace and direct approach meant he offered the side a different type of attacking outlet, one that was missed when he was substituted before the hour mark.
That decision from Bielsa likely would have puzzled Beckford, and it ended up costing the away side, who conceded all three goals in the second period.
Leeds were much different in the first-half, however, with Poveda almost putting them in front with a low drive that was saved by the goalkeeper.
Crawley’s shot-stopper Glenn Morris didn’t have a save to make once Poveda left the pitch, so it is fair to say Bielsa made an error in replacing him early in the second half.
The £8,800 a week winger also made one key pass and two tackles, which shows his involvement, and if he can build on this showing he may be able to get his first league start of the season soon.
In other Leeds United news, Karen Carney has made a claim about the team following the FA Cup defeat.