Leeds United have once again started faltering in their quest for promotion which could make fans anxious that there could be a repeat of last season. The Whites suffered a defeat against Wigan Athletic who are fighting for survival in the English Championship. United just have a three-point cushion over third-placed Fulham and the last few weeks have been tough to watch if you are a Leeds United fan.
After the transfer window shut down, the mood was mostly positive around Elland Road as they found a decent replacement for Eddie Nketiah in Jean-Kevin Augustin who has been playing top-flight football for a few years now. However, Bielsa is yet to even draft him in the matchday squad, and there were a lot of understandable questions from the fans on why he wasn’t even on the bench against Wigan. Former Leeds United striker Noel Whelan recently highlighted that Bielsa made a mistake by not including him in the matchday squad.
Noel Whelan explains where Bielsa made a mistake
Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan said, “We have gone three weeks without a striker. We have now got a striker, and he is sitting in the stand watching. At the very minimum, he should have been on the bench on Saturday to give us that strength in depth.”
“What is the point in buying players and getting a deal done if you are not going to put them on the bench? We do not have a massive squad, and at times like that, when you are one-nil down, you need a lift from the crowd, a reaction from your players and bringing a new striker on would have done that. It may have made the difference.”
Why is Whelan right in his assessment?
Phil Hay had revealed that Bielsa wanted Augustin to get used to how Leeds play. It was always going to be likely that Bielsa would take this approach. For the Argentine, following the process is essential and he is unlikely to budge on it even when there is immense pressure from outside. The same happened with Eddie Nketiah as he had to wait a long time to get a start even though Bamford went through a wretched run of form.
However, it cannot be ignored that Bielsa’s stubbornness has costed the Whites on a few occasions. Augustin has the pace, directness and flair to make a difference, and it’s true that he could have had a positive impact against Wigan.
United are becoming one dimensional, and Whelan certainly seems frustrated like many of the fans with some of Bielsa’s attributes. However, the manager is unlikely to give in, and he is likely to stick with his beliefs and thinking. Augustin could take some time before he sees some action, but Bielsa needs to realise that he doesn’t have a real game-changer in attack if he decides to keep Augustin away from the first team. Hopefully, this decision wouldn’t come back to bite the Whites in the future.
