OPINION
Leeds United scraped through in a 1-0 win over Championship strugglers Reading on Tuesday night in a clash which will have given Marcelo Bielsa a lot to think about.
Bailey Peacock-Farrell was the hero for the Whites as he saved a last-gasp penalty to salvage the three points which put Bielsa’s men into second in the table.
It was Stuart Dallas’ goal which gave them the lead on the hour mark, with a much-improved display in the second half making up for a woeful first 45 minutes.
One of the features of that terrible first-half performance was Chelsea loanee Lewis Baker, who was handed his first league start of the season against the Royals.
Unfortunately for the 6ft midfielder [Transfermarkt] it was a full league debut to forget as he toiled away before being hooked off at the half by Bielsa as part of a double substitution.
Despite Bielsa claiming he did not think Baker’s performance was “bad” after the game, as quoted in the Yorkshire Evening Post, this horror show may be the nail in the coffin for him at Leeds.
The 23-year-old has really failed to impress so far at Elland Road, with just nine further substitute appearances in the Championship and two starts in the EFL Cup to show for his efforts.
Baker will have been hoping to really make a name for himself at Leeds this season after so many different loan spells during his time at Chelsea, but that now looks unlikely to happen.
It may not be too farfetched to suggest Baker’s opportunity to impress at Leeds has now been and gone, with it being unlikely Bielsa will trust him to start in the league any time soon.
There is no time for sentiment in a promotion push in any division, most certainly not the Championship, and the fact is that there are many more players ahead of Baker in the pecking order.
Unfortunately for Baker that now likely means that he will be hard-pressed to find another chance come his way at Elland Road, and he will likely have to wait for a chance to impress somewhere else next season.