Raphinha let down Bielsa with torrid Chelsea display
Raphinha cost Leeds United three points against Chelsea in an insipid display that he will quickly want to forget.
The winger has been our best player in recent weeks but he was simply not at the races on Saturday.
It was a rare poor display and must be caveated by the fact he was up against an England international in Ben Chilwell and a Chelsea defence that has now conceded just two goals in ten games.
However, he did not display the attributes we have come to expect of Raphinha recently.
A pass accuracy of 58% led the Brazilian to lose possession 34 times, per SofaScore.
We lost count of the number of times a move broke down with Raphinha, and we struggled to sustain attacks because of that.
It was not for a lack of trying as he constantly picked up the ball on the right and was more involved than Jack Harrison on the other flank.
Despite that, completing three out of seven successful dribbles attempted is not good enough for Raphinha.
Neither is two crosses completed out of 12, and Marcelo Bielsa was likely frustrated with the winger’s output.
We certainly were, as to beat teams like Chelsea our best players must perform.
Raphinha also missed a brilliant chance to win the game in the second half, so really let down his teammates and his manager.
It is a real shame as the 24-year-old clearly possesses talent.
However, he has now failed to score or assist in the last three games, of which we have won none.
It will be interesting to see how he copes if Patrick Bamford is absent with injury, as the pair often link up very well.
Tyler Roberts could replace the striker and his runs in behind were our primary method of exploiting Chelsea.
If Raphinha has the vision and skill to play balls over the top he could rediscover the form that has won him so many plaudits recently.
In other Leeds United news, Phil Hay has offered an update on Bamford’s injury situation.