BBC MotD pundit calls out Marcelo Bielsa ahead of massive weekend clash
Match of the Day pundit Ian Wright has called out Marcelo Bielsa, saying it’s “ridiculous” to say new striker Jean-Kevin Augustin needs time to get up to speed for Leeds United
Augustin signed for Leeds from Red Bull Leipzig last Monday but the striker – who was on loan at Monaco for the first half of the season – hasn’t played a lot of football this season.
The 22-year-old only started twice for Monaco in Ligue 1, coming on as a sub, sometimes out wide, in eight further games.
Augustin wasn’t in the squad for the game against Wigan last Saturday but played 45 minutes for the Under-23s on Monday.
However, Wright is convinced Bielsa has got it wrong and that Augustin should be used in the first-team squad straight away.
Leeds have a massive game in the Championship against Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
“Going back to Augustin and Bielsa saying he’s not up to speed,” said Wright on The Monday Night Football Club. “Well, if you’re a striker what speed do you need to be up to if you’re coming off the bench for 10 minutes to win the game?
“Eddie [Nketiah] was a substitute, whether he was up to speed or not, he came on and scored goals.
“That’s what you want with a striker, the way to get him up to speed is to get him on the pitch and get a couple of goals.
“I just cannot go with that ‘getting him up to speed’ thing. It just seems like a ridiculous thing to say.”
In Bielsa we trust
We want to see Augustin play as much as any other Leeds fans do. However, Marcelo Bielsa isn’t one to be swayed away from a lifetime’s work in football.
Bielsa has a system and it’s a system that’s got Leeds closer to the Premier League than we’ve been since relegation.
If Bielsa thinks Augustin is ready then he’ll put him on the bench for the game against Nottingham Forest.
If he doesn’t, and Augustin didn’t show a lot in the Under-23s game, then he won’t. It’s as simple as that.
Bielsa isn’t like other managers. He does things his own way and while some call that stubborn, we prefer single-minded.
Some Leeds fans criticised Bielsa after his decision to leave Augustin out of the squad against Wigan.
However, that’s just results-oriented thinking. If we’d won 5-0, no one would have said a word.
We hope to see Augustin on Saturday. If not, then in Bielsa we trust.
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