Leeds United writer Beren Cross has said that Marcelo Bielsa’s pat on the back for Lewis Bate after subbing him off was uncharacteristic of the manager.
The Whites claimed an impressive 3-2 victory in their last Premier League outing. During the match, an injury to Adam Forshaw meant Bate was brought on after just 22 minutes, making his top-flight debut.
However, he was then taken off later on in the game, being replaced by Rodrigo in the second half. Being substituted having already come off the bench is always a fairly embarrassing moment for a player – not least when making their debut – but it seems as though Bielsa didn’t want to hurt the player’s feelings.
Will Lewis Bate be a first-team regular at Leeds?
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Indeed, while talking on a LeedsLive Facebook video, Cross explained how the manager unusually tried to comfort the ‘crestfallen‘ youngster.
He said: “He [Bate] showed a lot of confidence and willingness to get on the ball. Like Bielsa said, he was participating.
“And I’m sure he’ll feel better by tomorrow. I mean, clearly, he looked a little bit crestfallen as he came off and Bielsa did uncharacteristically give him a pat on the back.
“Bielsa does normally just ignore the players as they come on and go off. So I think he will be aware of that, but, you know, he didn’t really make much of it in the post-match [interview].”
TIF Thoughts on Lewis Bate and Leeds…
Having arrived from Chelsea in the summer, Bate no doubt would have been delighted to have made his first-ever appearance in the Premier League. Incidentally, he made his senior debut against the Hammers in the FA Cup where he was also subbed off early.
He probably imagined things going a little better. Still, judging from Cross’ comments, it doesn’t sound as if he was having a poor game or that Bielsa was angry with him – it was more just a tactical decision.
In fairness to his manager, Leeds did get the win in the end, so it’s hard to blame his methods. And at the end of the day, Bate will likely be delighted to have played a part in the victory as well as officially becoming a Premier League player.
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