‘Izzy Brown all over again’; ‘What a joke’: Many Leeds fans rage at what Bielsa said on Thursday
Jean-Kevin Augustin has been a Leeds United player for a little while now, yet the supporters still haven’t witnessed him in first team action.
Granted, manager Marcelo Bielsa is a man who likes to take his time and do things his own way, so perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised by that fact.
However, the fans have been getting increasingly irritated by the Frenchman’s absence, especially following the defeat to Wigan Athletic last time out.
Bielsa has clearly been taking notice of the dialogue surrounding Augustin – and Whites striker Patrick Bamford – because he addressed the issue vociferously in his pre match press conference on Thursday.
“If Augustin gets to 70 per cent of his skills, it is enough for him to play here,” he said, as per journalist Phil Hay’s personal Twitter account.
“If he can only use 50 per cent of his skills then it is not enough. It’s very easy to criticise Bamford because he misses chances but he scored 12 times. We shouldn’t under-estimate him.”
Hay then elaborated on Bielsa’s rant, saying: “This answer (20 minutes so far) makes you realise how aware Bielsa has been of the debate about why Augustin hasn’t featured yet. To sum it up – he’s head coach and he uses players when he thinks they’re ready.”
To be fair, Augustin hasn’t played a lot of football. He’s started just three games for previous club Monaco since the start of December.
You can see why Bielsa wouldn’t want to rush him into the hustle and bustle of the Championship, but at the same time he needs to understand that the supporters expect to see new recruits in action at some point.
Given Bamford’s consistent struggles in front of goal – 12 goals be damned – the Argentine can’t be surprised that the fans have been calling for Augustin’s introduction.
The Leeds faithful clearly didn’t appreciate Bielsa’s stance on the issue, feeling that the 22-year-old could end up being a wasted signing.
One fan said, “JKA doesn’t have to be at the ideal fitness levels Bielsa wants to make sub appearances. If that takes a few weeks or a month then fine but at least involve him in the first team in some capacity.”
Still, though, we expect that the White supporters will still be all the way behind whomever (Bamford) Bielsa selects to lead the line against Nottingham Forest on Saturday, despite their harsh words here…
https://twitter.com/philleeds12345/status/1225402191487422465
In other Leeds United news, former player Paul Robinson has been reflecting on the injury suffered by a Whites star.