Leeds were at their free-flowing best last Saturday as they put in one of their most convincing displays of the season.
It’s not often that Marcelo Bielsa’s side kill teams off but that’s exactly what they did against Hull, beating them 4-0.
The first-half was a familiar story for the Whites who entered the break just a goal to the good. For a team who have the second-worst conversion rate in the entire of the Championship, they couldn’t take things for granted.
Yet, in rather uncharacteristic fashion, they put on a clinic in how to play beautiful counter-attacking football and score goals in the process.
A large part of that was down to Tyler Roberts. The Welshman has missed 19 matches through injury this term but was back in the action and back among the goals. He netted twice against Hull, tucking away a left-footed effort before stooping to head home a delicious ball from Mateusz Klich.
The Pole has now started 84 league matches in a row, remaining ever-present under Bielsa since he walked into the club during the summer of 2018.
It’s a remarkable record and he’s struck up some fantastic partnerships in that time. One of those has been with Pablo Hernandez – the pair have combined for five goals since the current manager walked through the doors at Elland Road.
However, what’s telling is that despite a lack of minutes together, Klich’s best record is alongside Roberts. The midfielder’s assist for the Welshman was the sixth time they’ve combined with Bielsa at the helm. That’s come in just 2,096 of action. In comparison, Klich’s record with Hernandez accounts for 5,424 minutes on the field together.
It’s evident Roberts has a tremendous understanding with his 29-year-old teammate and that was clear to see last Saturday.
The £3.6m-rated forward managed to do something few attackers have managed at Leeds in 2019/20 – getting in behind. That was profitable for Klich who rather than playing the ball short for Patrick Bamford, could use his excellent vision to the team’s advantage.
It says a lot that in 4,514 minutes and 61 matches, Bamford and Klich have only been involved in one goal together. For your most attacking midfielder and number 9 to have a record as poor as that speaks volumes about Bielsa’s attack.
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The 64-year-old is a stubborn man when it comes to team selections. Eddie Nketiah started just two league outings during his loan spell while Jean-Kevin Augustin has played only 49 minutes after arriving.
It’s unlikely the Leeds boss will change things up but if he wants to take Klich to the next level, particularly when it comes to assists, playing Roberts would be hugely beneficial.
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