Leeds United coach reveals 'big brother' theory and plot to turn youngsters into 'gladiators'

Leeds United's rich history of youth development was one of the aspects that most attracted Michael Skubala to the club.

The Whites’ Under-21s head coach has presided over an unbeaten start during the team’s opening four matches and will take charge of the youngsters at Elland Road for the first time on Friday evening.

He admits another draw was the opportunity to coach at an arena such as Leeds’ home ground, which is expected to seat up to 10,000 fans for Friday’s fixture.

In the absence of any first-team involvement until early October, Skubala held a press conference on Thursday morning ahead of United’s clash with Southampton B.

While his primary role is developing young players and supporting the first-team, he acknowledges the importance of winning games and working in close association with Jesse Marsch, head of academy operations Adam Underwood and director of football Victor Orta.

“Whenever I met Victor, Jesse, [people from] the club, it’s an amazing club, good people. Also the attraction of being linked and supporting whatever the first-team is hoping to achieve, that's at the top end in the coalface of high performance, one of the attractions to the job,” Skubala tells the YEP.

Leading his team out at Elland Road is doubtless a landmark occasion in the coach’s varied and experiential career, which has seen him work at youth level with England, lead the country’s futsal team and assist high-level players getting back into the professional game whilst at Loughborough University.

Friday night will be an occasion, not least because of the names expected to feature as they gain match fitness with the Under-21s, including club captain Liam Cooper, Patrick Bamford and Luke Ayling – three members of head coach Marsch’s first-team leadership group.

"First and foremost, they're great people, great leaders,” Skubala says. “Everybody that goes across that white line wants to do well, they will definitely help [the young players] because when they come into training they’ve done well, they're just great people that want to support the youth talent.”

Skubala hopes the senior pros can be a guiding presence on the pitch, coining a helpful and directive turn of phrase.

"We're all in this together. We're a family. Right?

"It's part of being a family, it's big brother, little brother. It's always all in it together, which is exciting.”

Under-21 football prioritises player development, but results come a close second and Southampton’s B side are currently level on ten points after four matches.

This year’s Premier League 2 Division 2 campaign is a reduced, 20-game season, meaning each and every fixture holds greater importance, considering only one side earns automatic promotion to the top flight where Leeds aim to return; the best of the rest settling for a four-team play-off series.

The head coach has previously discussed a ‘fast lane, slow lane’ philosophy to Under-21s football, regarding development and ultimately winning matches.

“There's a fast lane and a slow lane all the time. So the slow lane is can we get the players ready, the fast lane is now and again when we have to come out and win games. So there's two priorities.”

Skubala acknowledges that for his young players, the opportunity to play alongside first-teamers in a competitive fixture, in an environment such as Elland Road will be a critical step in their development as professionals.

"It's one of the challenges, isn't it, of youth development and academies? They don't really have many experiences to play in front of big crowds and whether we like it or not, it creates its own pressures and creates its own environment,” he says.

"One of the biggest things that I think academy players don't realise is when you speak to them in front of the 40,000 people, you can't hear each other. The crowd is making the noise and in a game that hasn't got big crowds, you can obviously speak and help your players through games.

"But at certain points, they're the gladiators and they have to go out there.”

Skubala’s youngsters will enter Leeds United’s coliseum – some for the very first time – on Friday for what could prove to be a pivotal, top-of-the-table clash come the end of the season.

With deadline day signing Willy Gnonto also set to feature in some capacity, Skubala will hope his troops are left asking the 10,000-strong Elland Road amphitheatre, ‘are you not entertained?’