OPINION
Leeds United earned a well-fought 2-1 win over Queen’s Park Rangers on Saturday thanks to a brace from red-hot striker Kemar Roofe.
However, it was not Roofe who Marcelo Bielsa focused his attention on largely after the match – it was attacking midfielder Samu Saiz, who played 81 minutes before being replaced by Aapo Halme.
It was Pablo Hernandez who was the star of the show in the midfield, with Saiz arguably in his shadow for the entirety of the match – and Bielsa’s warning following the game sum up perfectly what he needs to do from now on.
Bielsa on Saiz: "He played well today but he didn't create superiority (in going past QPR players). Playing well is a step forward. Now he needs to find his capacity to make the difference." #lufc
— Phil Hay (@PhilHay_) December 8, 2018
“He played well today but he didn’t create superiority (in going past QPR players). Playing well is a step forward. Now he needs to find his capacity to make the difference,” he said, as quoted by Yorkshire Evening Post reporter Phil Hay on his personal Twitter account.
Bielsa clearly still is not satisfied with the Spaniard’s performances and he has good reason to – even though Saiz is technically gifted on the ball, his end product still is not there, and that must change soon.
He has not quite delivered the goods for a player with his level of skill and ability and there will be only so long Bielsa will be able to put up with this – he needs to pull his finger out and improve, or his head will be on the chopping block very soon indeed.
The 27-year-old is not guaranteed a spot in the starting XI, and these comments from the manager are perhaps the wake-up call he needs to get his head down.
This season is incredibly important for the Whites and all of the players obviously need to be in the best form of their lives – and if Saiz does not deliver, then the Leeds ever-present will be keeping the bench warm more often than he would like.