Luis Sinisterra was potentially the poorest Leeds United player in front of the back four during the frustrating loss at Arsenal on Saturday.
That is according to Shaun Derry, who was speaking to BBC Radio Leeds after the 4-1 defeat at the Emirates.
Of course, our expectations were largely low going into the game. But there was always hope that we could put Mikel Arteta’s men under some pressure as they battle for the Premier League title.
Few would have predicted the lineup Javi Gracia would opt for. But the game did see Luis Sinisterra handed a rare start in a campaign which has been blighted by injury.
Luis Sinisterra criticised after Leeds’ loss at Arsenal
Unfortunately, the Colombian really did not have a good afternoon. He looked extremely rusty. And Derry was not impressed by what he saw from Sinisterra during the game.
“I thought he was poor. Let’s be honest, say it how we see it. Today I could see why he made the call. But within it, out of them front six, I thought Sinisterra was maybe the poorest out of the lot,” he told BBC Radio Leeds.
“In possession, he was a little bit loose. What I wanted to see a little bit more was a reaction when he lost possession. What I saw was a slight pause and he was always the one who was looking around thinking someone run for me. And I didn’t like that.
“If you know you’re going to be spending 65, 68 percent out of possession here, well you need a bit of honesty from every player on the pitch. And I didn’t feel that he gave that honesty out of possession. In possession, I thought he was sloppy, I thought he was loose.”
It is hard to be too critical of any single player after Leeds’ loss to Arsenal. We are a team still in the infancy of Javi Gracia’s tenure. And Arsenal have now won 12 of their 15 home games in the league this season.
The result will largely be forgotten should we beat Nottingham Forest on Tuesday. And it would be amazing to see Luis Sinisterra steal the show against our relegation rivals.
We know what Sinisterra is capable of. He has scored a couple of goals already, despite his issues with injury. And his record with Feyenoord was outstanding.
His form prompted Leeds to spend £21 million in the summer. However, we have only had glimpses of what he can truly do so far. He certainly did not look like a £21 million player at the Emirates on Saturday.
If he gets the chance to start again in midweek, and he goes on to impress, all will absolutely be forgiven.
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