Marcelo Bielsa’s press conference on Thursday was a very interesting one.
The manager seemingly had a lot on his mind as he gave a 20-minute answer to a very simple question about Jean-Kevin Augustin, and when he will play.
Somehow within that extended rant, the Argentine didn’t answer the question that was put to him, so we’re still none the wiser as to when the Frenchman will make his debut at Leeds.
However, Bielsa did give an indication that Augustin won’t be playing anytime soon as he stated that his fitness isn’t up to scratch.
He stated: “In the last 8 months he played 3 full matches. When this happens, the conclusions about his fitness levels are clear. Would a player with the ability of Augustin arrive to our club if he wasn’t in the situation that he’s in now?”
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We know that the Leeds manager demands a lot from his players when it comes to fitness, weighing his players every morning before training, and if Augustin isn’t at an insanely high level he simply won’t play.
The problem is that over the next eight days Leeds have three games that could potentially define their season – they play three of the top six.
It seems unlikely that Augustin will be fit enough to start before then, and if the Wigan game was anything to go by, he may not even make the bench.
You can understand why Bielsa demands such high standards from his players, but with just 16 games to go of the season, signing an unfit player on a six-month loan is almost pointless if he isn’t up to Bielsa’s required level of fitness.
Victor Orta knew that the manager has insane standards before he signed Augustin, and this could end up being a wasted move if he is only actually considered for the last few weeks of the season.
In other news, Leeds’ recent woes may be down to two things that have changed.
