Leeds climbed to fifth in the Championship with a valuable 2-0 win at Elland Road.
Leeds United skipper Liam Bridcutt suggested to BBC Radio Leeds that Garry Monk proved that he is one of the best managers around with the tactical reshuffle that led to the Whites bagging an impressive victory over Reading on Tuesday.
The Peacocks went into the game looking to bounce back following their disappointing defeat to Brighton last Friday, but knew that they faced almost as difficult a challenge against the Royals, who sat one place below the Seagulls in third.
And their task was seemingly not made any easier by the players that Monk had to pick from for the game with Bridcutt and Eunan O’Kane highly unlikely to start given their recent injuries – the latter missed out on the squad entirely – while Kalvin Phillips was suspended.
Leeds United manager Garry Monk
Rather than pick from Matt Grimes, Alex Mowatt, Luke Murphy and Toumani Diagouraga in a bid to stick with his trusty 4-2-3-1 system, Monk, perhaps bravely, started the game with one natural centre-midfielder, Ronaldo Vieira, and instead deployed something that appeared to resemble a 4-1-4-1 system with Souleymane Doukara and Kemar Roofe playing in the middle of the park.
And it is safe to say that the gamble paid off as Leeds managed to largely restrict the Royals to half chances despite their complete dominance in terms of possession.
And speaking after the game, Bridcutt hailed the manager’s decision to make the change.
“The manager set it up,” he told BBC Radio Leeds when asked about the change in tactics.
Chris Wood (2nd R) celebrates with team mates after scoring the first goal for Leeds United
“He’s been working on it for the last couple of days and obviously that shows how good a manager he is. He knows what he’s on about and tactically, he’s up there with one of the best I think and he’s shown that tonight.”
What perhaps made Monk’s performance all the more impressive was the fact that he was forced into another change when Chris Wood had to be replaced shortly after the half-hour mark.
It was holding midfielder Bridcutt who came on for the striker, forcing Monk into another reshuffle. But once again, the change paid off as Leeds went on to hold onto their lead before doubling it in the final minutes.
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