Oscar Mario of All Leeds TV has been discussing the recent form of attacking midfielder Tyler Roberts during a recent video on the channel.
The 21-year-old came on as a substitute during the Whites’ disappointing defeat at Crystal Palace on Saturday, replacing Pascal Struijk on 71 minutes (as per WhoScored). Roberts’ average performance rating in the Premier League this season currently stands at a disappointing 6.11/10 which is lower than his average during the 2019/20 campaign – which suggests he is suffering from a dip in form.
When discussing why that may be the case, Mario shared his thoughts on the Welsh international, here is what he had to say:
“He’s not a first-choice [player] for me, and I’ll be the first to criticise Tyler Roberts when he has a poor game because I think he has to raise those standards now.
“I don’t think he suits playing deeper in this team, I think he’s got to play as a number nine.
“I think it makes more sense to play Rodrigo [just behind the striker] and have Roberts competing with [Patrick] Bamford for the centre-forward spot.
“I just feel that’s a big part of [his poor form] at the minute for Roberts, he’s not playing in his best position at all.”
Do you think Tyler Roberts should be competing with Bamford at centre-forward?
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TIF Thoughts on Oscar’s comments regarding Tyler Roberts’ position…
According to WhoScored, Roberts’ performances have been better when deployed by Bielsa as a forward as opposed to when he is asked to play in a deeper position – supporting the YouTuber’s point.
It seems to us that part of the issue regarding the young player currently is the fact he isn’t playing in a role that best suits his strengths, as is evident in the difference between the 6.74/10 performance rating when he plays as a striker in comparison to the 5.98/10 rating when he is included as part of the midfield.