'That will take a toll' - Robbie Savage delivers warning to 'tired' Leeds over 'very heavy' Elland Road pitch

The Whites were beaten 1-0 at home by Brighton at the weekend, and while much of the attention in the aftermath of the match was focused on another below par display from Marcelo Bielsa’s men, their pitch also came in for its fair share of criticism.

Albion boss Graham Potter refused to be drawn into criticism about the surface, but did admit that it was heavy, with longer grass than most top flight grounds.

Initial plans from Elland Road chiefs would have seen the pitch relaid at the end of last season, but the shortened summer break brought about by the Coronavirus pandemic meant that the work had to be delayed.

Leeds chief executive Angus Kinnear told the Yorkshire Evening Post: "We had intended to do this last summer but the process takes 14 weeks and so simply couldn't be executed in a close season so dramatically shortened by the pandemic.

"The current Elland Road surface received justifiable criticism last year as the ancient drainage system was unable to deal with the torrential rain we experienced across December."

Saturday’s match saw the surface cut up on several occasions, and speaking on Radio 5 Live’s 606 over the weekend, Savage suggested that it could end up presenting a real problem for a Leeds side who place such a great emphasis on their quick movement of the ball and ability to outrun sides.

He said: “I think on previous 606’s, myself and Chris [Sutton] have said that in the second half of the season, predominantly, Leeds United get fewer points than in the first half.

"I looked at Leeds United’s pitch [on Saturday] and it was very, very heavy. With their fitness, Chris maybe thinks I'm talking nonsense, but that will take a toll on how dynamic they are.

"It was a heavy pitch. We don’t normally see that in the Premier League.

"If you’re going towards the second half of the season, when Leeds take less points, because of the intensity of play… They’ve had lots of snow there, there’s been plenty of rain, but the pitch was heavy.

"You could see, the players looked tired for the first time.”