”Would expect that” - Gary Lineker, Micah Richards comment on Leeds United and Championship trend | OneFootball

The Whites, and the league as a whole, have been praised by the former England internationals.

Micah Richards has praised Leeds United for their "mighty" 3-0 win over Coventry City, as Gary Lineker applauded the Championship for its competitiveness.

The second tier has been, for a while, one of the most entertaining and unpredictable leagues in the world. You get a lovely blend of physicality and a bit of throwback football whenever you watch Championship games.

Not only are the games fun to watch, but the battle for positions is even more enthralling, even at this early stage. The nature of the league almost guarantees new contenders for promotion and relegation each season - a big contrast to that of the Premier League.

That said, one of the main challengers for a place in the Premier League last season, Leeds, are looking like they're going to make a serious go of it again.

After falling short at the end of the previous campaign and a trio of highly talented players in the summer in Archie Gray, Crysencio Summerville and Georginio Rutter, there were some worries about how well they'd be able to bounce back. The only thing you can say about them now is that they continue to look very formidable.

A sound victory over Coventry, who were expected to be one of the teams in and around the top six come the end of the season, further demonstrated their quality.

It was a good result for Daniel Farke and his team, although they have lost captain Ethan Ampadu for at least 10 weeks after he suffered a knee injury in the match at Elland Road.

Micah Richards & Gary Lineker on Leeds and the Championship

After giving some praise to their Euro 2024 colleague Wayne Rooney for his recent wins over Sunderland and Luton Town as Plymouth Argyle manager, the two hosts of The Rest is Football podcast went back and forth about Leeds and the competitiveness of the Championship.

Richards said, to Lineker: "Are you not going to mention the mighty Leeds, no? 3-0 victory at home to Coventry.

"I don’t have to because you just mentioned it," replied the Match of the Day presenter. "It's quite tight at the top of the Championship. I think six clubs are separated by about three points, but I suppose you would expect that."

Gary Lineker's comments on the Championship are vital

It's been clear to see in the last half-decade that the gap between the teams in the first and second tiers of English football has grown.

The last Premier League season was a key example of that. An immense, title-winning side in Burnley went down second bottom, along with the other two promoted teams from the prior campaign.

Having people like Lineker speak on such a mainstream podcast - albeit in the final minutes of a 43 minute-long podcast - about the league will only do good. The same can be said for Rooney's presence as a manager.

He won't have been hired for that reason, but the more attention and eyeballs being put on the Championship should do nothing but good for the league as a whole. Hopefully, as its popularity grows, that growing gap between England's two top leagues will be lessened.