Leeds United manager, Marcelo Bielsa, isn’t known for criticising his players in public, so his outburst ahead of the Watford match this weekend is a little out of character for the Argentinian.
Perhaps he is hoping that by so doing, it will prove to be motivational rather than anything else, and the player concerned will know that he needs to respond in any event.
Arriving from Barcelona in the summer transfer window, Junior Firpo came very highly rated, but he’s taking time to settle in at Elland Road.
Not that Bielsa is using that as an excuse for his under-par showings.
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In fact, his criticism, if you can call it that, was more of a back-handed compliment.
“With regards to his evolution in the team, he hasn’t produced a 7/10 performance,” he was quoted as saying by The Boot Room.
“But also, he hasn’t played below 6/10.”
With the 2021/22 Premier League season barely underway, Firpo arguably does need another half dozen games to bed in.
Players don’t become poor overnight, and once the left-back is singing Bielsa’s tune, he’ll take some dislodging from the starting XI.