Aidy White has suggested that Illan Meslier is not playing at his usual level right now, and shared how close he believes Daniel Farke will be to making a change in the Leeds United goal.
Illan Meslier got the nod to start Saturday’s FA Cup tie against Plymouth Argyle. It had been Kristoffer Klaesson who started the previous round, with Meslier suspended.
Klaesson did reasonably well during his time in the team. But it was no surprise that Meslier came back into the side once he was available again.
Illan Meslier questioned as Leeds fail to win FA Cup tie
The Frenchman has been the number one for much of time at Elland Road. And Meslier has made a couple of unbelievable saves this season. However, the 23-year-old has not managed to silence all of his critics.
Meslier’s decision-making has caused problems at times. And actually, his kicking has been underwhelming over the course of the campaign.
It was put to White on BBC Radio Leeds that Meslier was poor in the 1-1 draw with Plymouth. And he admitted that he has not fulfilled his potential recently – but insisted that he is some way off needing to be dropped.
“Klaesson’s come in and done well in the games that he’s played. His distribution’s not been quite at the level I’d usually expect from him recently. He’s obviously a very, very good keeper and people think the world of him, and I do. Just not quite at maybe where he needs to be at the minute,” he said.
“But whether that’s just because he’s had that sending off, a little bit of disruption in his momentum. But Klaesson has come in and done well, putting pressure on Meslier, so he’ll probably have to step up a little bit. Otherwise, you’re shooting yourself in the foot and eventually going to make a change. But I don’t think it’s anywhere near that standard yet.”
Goalkeeper change seems highly unlikely
Leeds do not necessarily need Meslier to be perfect this season. Ultimately, we are in the fortunate position where Farke’s men dominate most of the games they play. And with that, Meslier can have very quiet afternoons.
That may not be easy for Meslier either. But the promotion race is hotting up. And if we going to get ourselves in the top two, we are going to need to be nearly flawless at this point.
So the question mark over Meslier’s form is not ideal. But, as White suggests, there is no need to make a hasty move and switch the goalkeepers.
Receive a digest of our best Leeds content each week direct to your mailbox
