Leeds United head coach Marcelo Bielsa has displayed a glowing admiration for Eddie Nketiah, after the on-loan Arsenal striker enjoyed a game-changing cameo appearance against Barnsley, as quoted by The Telegraph.
Nketiah was named on Bielsa’s bench for the fifth Championship game in succession on Sunday (TransferMarkt), and had to wait until the 70th minute for his introduction to proceedings at Oakwell while the score remained goalless.
Leeds’ leading goalscorer in the league Patrick Bamford (WhoScored) had been tasked with fronting the Elland Road natives’ assault at Oakwell, but was frequently denied by Tykes goalkeeper Brad Collins, who produced a string of high quality saves to prevent the former Middlesbrough centre-forward from breaking the deadlock.
In search of a breakthrough, Bielsa turned to his bench in the 70th minute and called on Nketiah, who made it four goals in six appearances across all competitions when he lashed home a side-foot volley from close range before winning a penalty which Mateusz Klich converted five minutes later.
Bielsa has now come out and lavished Nketiah with praise, while adding that Bamford deserved to leave Oakwell with something to show for his efforts.
“Eddie has different characteristics [to Bamford], and in a match like that he is a good option,” Bielsa said. “Some players are involved a lot [in the build-up] before creating chances.
“Nketiah is more involved at the end of the action, but he has good characteristics to combine with his teammates to give these options. He is a striker who can score goals. For me, he is a complete player.”
“He puts in a lot of effort to be in a good condition to score and he had a lot of chances in this game,” the Argentine head coach added in regards to Bamford, who appeared frustrated at being taken off for Nketiah. “I tried to explain to him that he deserved a goal. He is a great centre-forward.”
Bielsa hailing Nketiah as a ‘complete player’ hints toward the Argentine considering a change being afoot in his tactics, and moving toward starting the Arsenal loanee when Leeds host Derby County on Saturday.
It would be unlikely that Leeds will be playing the tie on the back foot with the Rams travelling to Elland Road in search of their first win since the opening game of the campaign, while manager Phillip Cocu has called on his team to be more ruthless in front of goal having spurned numerous chances in recent weeks (Derby Telegraph).
Only five teams have scored fewer goals than Derby in the Championship this season – two of whom are in the relegation zone – and the Pride Park natives have shipped more than six of the 24 second-tier sides.
An open encounter will better favour Nketiah’s involvement at the end of play than Bamford’s build-up oriented approach, although Bielsa starting both cannot be ruled out given the Argentine is open to the idea of lining the pair up as a front two (Yorkshire Evening Post).
Leeds fans, who would you start against Derby on Saturday? Let us know in the comments below…
