Leeds dropped to third in the table following their terrible 4-1 loss to West Brom at the weekend in what was their worst performance since Marcelo Bielsa took charge.
Against a West Brom side that is probably the best attacking team in the league, Leeds were blown away by a side that set a tempo that Leeds couldn’t match.
Over the last few weeks, Leeds have struggled to replicate the form that they showed earlier in the season. The poor form is mainly in part to Bielsa having to cope with periods without key first-team players such as Kemar Roofe, Pablo Hernandez, Barry Douglas and Gaetano Berardi.
One player that has been poor over the last few weeks is Samu Saiz. The Spaniard has found himself on the bench over the last few games and in the next few weeks Bielsa must look to Adam Forshaw and Lewis Baker.
At the beginning of the season, Saiz has bee one of the best players in the Leeds side and had formed a dynamic trio with Pablo Hernandez and Kemar Roofe.
Recently, however, Saiz has been on the bench for the last four games and has been replaced by Adam Forshaw. Forshaw is a superb midfielder and while he may not be as good with the ball as the Spaniard he’s a much better passer and is much more comfortable at operating as a conventional number 10.
Bielsa though has another option, to play in Saiz’s place, and that’s Lewis Baker. Unlike Forshaw, he might not have the passing ability but what he does have is energy and the ability to get forward. He’s a talented player and hasn’t had too many chances so far this season. He’s made eight appearances and has often been on the bench over the last two months.
Saiz is incredibly out of form and may actually be more suited to be coming on as a substitute when the game is more broken up. In his stead, Bielsa must rely on the duo of Forshaw and Baker over the next few weeks.
