da apostaganha： Leeds United’s fears of relegation from the Premier League have been exacerbated after they were thrashed 4-1 by AFC Bournemouth on Sunday afternoon.
da aposte e ganhe： Javi Gracia and his side were completely walked over by the Cherries, who merely had to turn up and put the ball in the net, aided by the calamitous exploits of young goalkeeper Illan Meslier once again.
The Frenchman is completely shot of confidence and form, yet the 52-year-old manager has continued to keep him in the firing line and if anything, has destroyed any chance of redemption for what was a typically reliable shot-stopper.
He wasn’t the only poor performer down at Dean Court, however. You could easily take your pick at a handful of others but it was another ponderous outing from Weston McKennie in the heart of the pitch.
How did Weston McKennie play vs Bournemouth?
The 24-year-old midfielder is currently on loan from Serie A giants Juventus, a deal that also contains an option-to-buy of around €33m (£29m), according to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano.
Based on his recent displays, it’s hard to envisage the Yorkshire outfit pulling the trigger on that, especially if they are competing in the Championship next season but McKennie himself looks to have already checked out – he’s been lazy and uninterested, a far cry from the bustling and industrious presence that we saw at the World Cup back in December.
Against Bournemouth, the American only lasted 71 minutes before being hooked and in that time, he mustered a mediocre 32 touches of the ball. That’s the worst of any Leeds starter, barring Liam Cooper, who was withdrawn through injury a little after the half-hour mark. That lack of presence and influence in a key area of the pitch allowed the home outfit to run riot.
McKennie also won just two of his five duels (40%), again failing to impose himself on a match that desperately needed his true quality, whilst he lost possession six times and committed two fouls, via Sofascore; merely alluding to that lackadaisical attitude that he seems to be dragging behind him at present.
LeedsLive were scathing in their review of his performance, claiming that he was a ‘complete passenger’ in midfield and suggested that his anonymous presence left the Whites wide open and the scoreline would certainly suggest that indeed.
It was the sort of performance that made a mockery of the travelling Leeds faithful that had spent their hard-earned cash to support their relegation-threatened side down on the south coast.
That was hardly made any better by an “embarrassing” video that went viral of the team leaving the hotel after the game, where the players ignored the fans in a video that Paddy Kenny said should leave them “ashamed.”
That said, for the performance on the pitch, it was McKennie who deserved the brunt of the criticism.
Indeed, earlier this month, McKennie was accused of hiding when the going gets tough by MEN journalist Conor McGilligan as he claimed: “If we stay up, I don’t want him anyway. Because when the chips are down, when the going gets tough, the tough get going. Weston McKennie doesn’t fancy it.”
While Meslier will bare the brunt of the supporters’ angst, it’s the likes of McKennie that aren’t giving their all and contributing to Leeds’ downfall. The Elland Road faithful deserve far better than to be betrayed by a shocking lack of effort and desire, that’s for sure.