Helder Costa’s substandard West Ham display shows Marcelo Bielsa’s faith in him is misplaced
Helder Costa failed to repay Marcelo Bielsa’s faith in him once again with another dismal Leeds United display against West Ham.
The winger has been far from his best this season and was dragged off at half-time.
That shows Bielsa was very unhappy with his showing, which is hardly surprising given Costa contributed very little.
It is an all too familiar theme with the winger’s performances this season.
Against Southampton recently his substitute appearance showed he can produce quality as he made a positive impact from the bench.
That gave him a renewed chance to win back his place in the side, but he has underwhelmed in the games since.
At the London Stadium on Monday he had minimal impact, completing just nine passes in the first half, per SofaScore.
Also, Costa failed to complete a single dribble or key pass, so it was little surprise that we provided little attacking threat aside from the opening 15 minutes.
Jack Harrison took Costa’s place at half-time and it is likely he will start the next match, despite suffering his own dip in form of late.
As for Costa, he really let down Bielsa.
The Argentine has given the 27-year-old ample chances to impress but against West Ham he did not even display the commitment required of a Leeds player.
A return of one duel won out of six, meaning he lost 84%, is not acceptable in this side.
As a result, Costa may find it difficult to find a way back into the starting line-up.
There is no chance Raphinha will be dropped and with Ian Poveda close to recovering from injury there could be limited opportunities for Costa.
Harrison restoring his goalscoring touch could also lead Costa being isolated once again.
We have little sympathy for him as he only has his own poor performances to blame, and cannot forgive his efforts at West Ham.
In other Leeds United news, Phil Hay suggests that one Whites player may not feature much more this season.