Leeds United can solely focus on their efforts to earn promotion to the Premier League in the second half of the season after they were knocked out of the FA Cup by Millwall on Saturday.
They were beaten 2-0 by the Lions at Elland Road in the fourth round of the cup and only have Championship football to play between now and the end of the season.
The match did provide Daniel Farke with the chance to take a look at some of the fringe players in the squad, though, and hand a full first-team debut to Sam Chambers.
He made his debut in an 11-minute cameo against Plymouth Argyle in November, but this was the 17-year-old attacking midfielder’s first start at senior level.
Sam Chambers’ performance against Millwall
It was, perhaps, a step too far too soon for the teenage starlet, as he lined up from the start as part of the attacking midfield trio behind Spanish striker Mateo Joseph.
He was up against a Championship-grade defensive set-up from Millwall, who selected first-choice defenders Japhet Tanganga and Jake Cooper, and failed to have much of an impact on the game.
|
Vs Millwall |
Sam Chambers |
|---|---|
|
Minutes |
70 |
|
Goals + assists |
0 |
|
Big chances missed |
1 |
|
Big chances created |
0 |
|
Duels won |
4/9 |
As you can see in the table above, Chambers missed his only ‘big chance’ to find the back of the net for the first time at senior level, and the youngster did not create anything of note for his teammates.
It was a valuable experience for the 17-year-old talent, however, and it will, hopefully, be one that he learns from in order to perform better when Farke decides to select him next.
The German head coach, though, could unearth an even bigger talent than Chambers by dipping into the academy to bring up 17-year-old Rhys Chadwick.
Why Rhys Chadwick could be a big talent for Leeds
Like Chambers, the teenage sensation is a versatile midfield player who can play in a central, defensive, or attacking role in the middle of the park.
The Scottish attacking midfielder has scored one goal and provided three assists in 14 U21 matches for the Whites, after a return of two goals and one assist in 26 games for the U18s.
Chadwick, meanwhile, has been on fire for the U21s this season. The English ace has racked up five goals and three assists in 13 Premier League 2 games, alongside a haul of four goals and seven assists in seven cup matches.
As you can see in the clip above, Chadwick is a midfield player who wants to get up the pitch to put pressure on the opposition in order to create turnovers and chances for himself in the final third.
His impressive return of 19 goals and assists in 20 matches in all competitions for the U21s this season, despite still only being 17 years old, speaks to how successful he is at making an impact at the top end of the pitch.
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He has outperformed Chambers at youth level as an attacking force, whilst playing in similar positions, and that is why the potential is there for him to emerge as an even bigger talent than the Scotsman if Farke is willing to hand him a chance to impress in the first-team in the weeks and months to come.
It is now down to the German head coach to bring him in at the right time to provide Chadwick with an opportunity to showcase his quality in the final third at first-team level.
