Leeds United could be in a bit of a tricky situation when it comes to one of their key players according to Leeds Live’s Joe Donnohue.
Mateusz Klich has been pretty much an ever-present since Marcelo Bielsa took over the reins in the summer of 2018. He has started in all bar three of Leeds United’s games in all competitions, indicating that when it comes to his style of play, there clearly aren’t many people that Bielsa thinks can do his role better than the 30-year-old Pole.
But has all that playing time now started to catch up to him?
Speaking on Leeds United Live’s review show of the Burnley game, the subject of Klich not being his usual self when off the ball was brought up, and Donnohue believed that the amount of work that he has put in this season, not just for his club, could well be taking a toll on him.
He said: “Against Burnley he seemed a little off the pace, his pressing wasn’t as effective. It’s not good seeing that, but I think it’s a reflection of just how much he has played. It’s a difficult one because who do you rest him for?
“It’s natural for him to be tired, he’s played every international break with Poland. He’s played pretty much every game for the past season and a half.”
Is Marcelo Bielsa in danger of giving his players burnout this season?
Yes
No
There has been a lot of talk about Bielsa’s style of play, and how it could end up costing him results this season, but it could also end up costing him his players if he isn’t careful. ‘Bielsa Burnout’ is something that Leeds might have got away with last season given the rest they had before the end of the season, but a truncated Premier League campaign is a whole different matter, and the two could very well be playing hand in hand. Something has got to give.
And whilst they might have built up a bit of a cushion from the bottom of the table, if that burnout does start to creep into the side again like it did in 2018/19, then Bielsa and Leeds could be in for a bumpy ride.