Bielsa screamed at Leeds player and threw arms up in a huff during win v Blackburn – report
Illan Meslier has every right to be the number one goalkeeper for Leeds United but that does not mean he’s immune to having a bad day at the office.
Although the 20-year-old loanee has done fantastically well in between the sticks since his debut against Arsenal in January, his distribution hasn’t been up to Marcelo Bielsa’s high standards at times.
According to LeedsLive, Bielsa was heard screaming at Meslier in the 3-1 win against Blackburn on Saturday and even threw his arms up in a huff when the Frenchman failed to find a team-mate with a pass.
It is understood that Luke Ayling was also frustrated by Meslier for taking too long to play the ball out from the back.
Meslier is still a young goalkeeper and, as most people know, goalkeepers peak a lot later than outfield players.
It is rare to have a number one goalkeeper who is aged 21 or below in the Premier League or Championship.
Meslier has a lot to learn and, if his loan deal does become permanent, he will continue to learn under Bielsa’s charge.
According to stats by WyScout, Meslier only misplaced one of his short-range passes against Blackburn and his success rate for long-range passes wasn’t bad at all at 75 per cent.
In the Championship this season, Meslier has completed 59.4 per cent of long-range passes on average, so it was an improved display against Blackburn.
Bielsa might be being too harsh on the Frenchman but he is a perfectionist and he knows that he can push Meslier to improve his distribution even more by letting him know about it when it’s not good enough.
In other Leeds United news, a Sky Sports pundit has hammered Patrick Bamford for what he did last week.