Eddie Nketiah mightâve made a goalscoring start to life at Leeds United, but the forwardâs wait for a full Championship debut looks set to continue this weekend at Wigan.
Leeds head to the DW Stadium looking for a return to winning ways in the Championship following last weekendâs draw with Nottingham Forest, but Bielsa confirmed in his pre-match press conference that the side would be unchanged.
That, of course, means that Nketiah wonât be involved from the start, with Patrick Bamford likely to lead the line and look to build on the one goal he has to his name so far this season.
Nketiah wasnât involved on the bench versus Forest, but with his midweek goal, you imagine that Bielsa will probably draft him into the 18 and give him a chance.
Nevertheless, we take a look at THREE reasons why this particular selection call might come back to haunt Leedsâ¦
Bamfordâs confidence
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Everyone in the Championship knows that Bamford is a confidence player; when heâs scoring goals, they come regularly, but when heâs out of touch, he struggles.
Right now, heâs probably on the edge of being out of touch. Yes, he got a goal against Bristol City on the opening day, but shouldâve added to that against Forest and Salford City.
The confidence wasnât there in either outing, which is a concern for Leeds.
He could really do with settling the nerves early on at Wigan.
The sideâs lack of cutting edge
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Following on from the previous point, if Bamford isnât scoring, Leeds donât have the look of a clinical side.
That was the case last weekend against Forest, with 15 shots bringing only one goal.
Last season, this cost Leeds in the promotion race, and Bielsa canât allow that to happen again.
They need their strikers in form.
Arsenalâs long-term stance over Nketiah
Of course, it is early days for Nketiah at Leeds, and Arsenal wouldnât expect the Whites to throw him straight in the starting XI.
However, they need to tread carefully when it comes to his minutes.
Arsenal want to see their player progress, and theyâll want him as first-choice within a couple of months.
This Saturdayâs selection wonât impact whether Arsenal are happy with Leedsâ handling of the striker, but if itâs a long-term plan of Bielsaâs, there will be a problem.