Leeds United top alternative Premier League table that could help them in relegation battle
Leeds United have given more game time to players in their “peak” than any other Premier League club this season.
That is according to Opta Analyst, who have split squads into pre-peak, peak, and post-peak categories.
Pre-peak is for players under the age of 24, peak is 24-29, and post-peak is 29 and above. Last summer, Leeds signed multiple players in their mid to late 20s as they tried to build on their Championship title.
Daniel Farke‘s team have benefitted from recruits such as Anton Stach, 27, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, 28, and James Justin, 28, among others.
While the majority of the Elland Road outfit’s players are in the “peak” bracket, there is no guarantee this will keep them in the Premier League.
However, it may suggest that their squad will not burn out as much as some of their rivals, as they will have fewer miles on the clock.
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Leeds United stack up well to West Ham, Nottingham Forest, and more
Opta Analyst’s data shows that 94 per cent of the minutes handed out to Leeds players this season have been to ones in their “peak” years.
A total of five per cent of minutes has gone to Leeds players in their “post-peak” stage, such as goalkeeper Karl Darlow, who has impressed in recent weeks.
Leeds have played very few players under the age of 24 this season, with Wilfried Gnonto, 22, being the most regular to feature in that bracket.
Compared to Leeds, 18th-placed West Ham have a split of 26 per cent pre-peak players, 46 per cent peak, and 28 per cent post-peak.
Nottingham Forest, who are two points ahead of the Hammers in 17th, are identical with Nuno Espirito Santo’s side for minutes given to pre-peak players, but they are at 58 per cent for peak and 16 per cent for post-peak this term.
So, Leeds are at the top for giving minutes to players in their peak, but at the bottom for youngsters.
At the other end of the scale, Brighton have handed out the most minutes of any Premier League club to players under 24, and Arsenal are second behind Leeds for their share of squad minutes for peak players.
Leeds are right up there regarding running stats this season, and having a fit squad, in their prime years, certainly helps with that.
Leeds hope to use home advantage against Sunderland
After Saturday’s 1-0 loss to Manchester City, Leeds will hope to bounce back when they host Sunderland on Tuesday night.
This is the first Premier League meeting between Leeds and Sunderland at Elland Road since August 2002, which ended in a 1-0 away win.
But the Mackems are winless in their last three league visits to this stadium.
Both teams have one of the worst away records in the division, but Leeds are unbeaten in 22 home evening (7 pm or later) league games.
They’ve won their last 13 by an aggregate score of 33-7.
The last time these two teams met, they played out a 1-1 draw at the Stadium of Light in late December. In that game, Calvert-Lewin scored a deserved equaliser.
And, from the end of November to the end of December, Calvert-Lewin scored seven goals from 15 shots in the Premier League, a conversion rate of 47 per cent.
But since the turn of the year, he’s netted just twice from 19 shots in the competition (10.5% conversion).
Leeds will hope the November-December edition of the former Everton man shows up against Sunderland, along with the peak players in their squad.
It could just be key to survival.
For more in-depth analysis on Leeds, visit Football Insider.