A collection of Leeds United fans have been left furious after hearing former player Danny Mills criticise Marcelo Bielsa for substituting Lewis Bate in their recent Premier League game.
Over the weekend, the young midfielder was brought off the bench early on for an injured Adam Forshaw. Bate was making his top-flight debut, but was later subbed off for Rodrigo as his side went on to claim all three points in a 3-2 victory.
Speaking about the decision to Football Insider, Mills said the decision would have ‘hurt’ the teenager, and that the action could end up being ‘quite detrimental’ to the player’s confidence.
He said: “I find it strange and interesting at the same time.
“To bring on a young player who you clearly believe in and trust in after you’ve brought him already against the same team you can say ‘Go and prove a point’.
“It was a strange one. You’re taken off because you didn’t play particularly well first time out against West Ham, then you’re taken off again. Even if that’s a tactical switch, whatever the manager says, it’s going to hurt, it will dent your confidence and make you feel you’re not good enough.
Will Lewis Bate be a first-team regular at Leeds?
Yes
No
“If he’s on the bench, Bielsa doesn’t just throw people in for the sake of it, it’s nothing to do with a lack of fitness. Confidence-wise, that can be quite detrimental to a young player.”
Here’s what these Leeds fans said…
However, Bate has now been taken off early in his first two senior games for his side – incidentally, both have come against West Ham United. Indeed, he was subbed at half time in the recent FA Cup loss to the Hammers, so it’s easy to understand why his confidence could be somewhat damaged by these moments.
Even so, perhaps Bielsa’s judgement deserves a little more faith from Mills – the Argentine probably knows what he is doing.
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