Illan Meslier decision must be regretted by Javi Gracia at half-time in Leeds United clash v Bournemouth
It had been a dreadful and difficult half for Leeds United against Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium going in at half-time 2-1 down after starting well.
Leeds United started the game on top and in the ascendancy and could well have taken the lead inside five minutes when a well-taken Marc Roca free-kick was brilliantly saved by Cherries goalkeeper Neto.
Another crucial chance fell to Jack Harrison at the edge of the penalty box after some excellent work by McKennie and Summerville down the right flank for Gracia’s men but Bournemouth stood firm.
However, it was Bournemouth who took the lead through a wonderful curler from Jefferson Lerma for which Illan Meslier had no chance.
A few minutes later Gracia’s men fell two goals behind with the Colombian latching on to another horrible Meslier blunder from a corner and plunge Leeds United into further relegation fodder and giving them a real mountain to climb.
Patrick Bamford gave the Whites some hope brilliantly heading in a beautiful Wilfried Gnonto cross.
However, Gracia will be absolutely worried about the form and performances of his number one goalkeeper Meslier who really isn’t inspiring any confidence with his catalogue of blunders.
The Frenchman was guilty of errors against Fulham last weekend and now performed the same blunder against Bournemouth which could certainly cost Leeds United their chance at securing their Premier League future for next season.
As per SofaScore, the goalkeeper was rightly handed the worst average rating of any player on the pitch at 5.5/10 and his goals prevented average was a woeful -1.24 and of course his error leading to a Cherries goal. Meslier also strangely only completed 44% of his passes and registered just two accurate kicks out of seven in a dreadful first-half showing.
With so much riding on the next few weeks for the whole club, it may be time for Gracia to make a statement and drop him from the team to get him out of the firing line.
The youngster really isn’t putting himself in the shop window either, after being the subject of plenty of interest over the last few months.
In other Leeds United news, a BT Sport pundit has shared what they heard about potential behind-the-scenes conflict at Elland Road.