Opinion: Augustin might be the last piece in the puzzle, but we can’t be solely reliant on him
It’s certainly going to be a popular topic until we get an answer.
After the outrage that has surrounded Marcelo Bielsa’s decision to leave new signing Jean-Kevin Augustin on the bench against Wigan Athletic, particularly after his side went on to lose the game, attention now turns to this weekend’s game against Nottingham Forest.
Will Augustin finally make his first-team debut for the club? Well in the eyes of one former player, it would appear to be almost a guarantee.
Speaking to ClubCall about the matter, Eddie Gray said that Augustin has more than enough pedigree to score the goals required to help Leeds in their promotion push, and that having him there as an option to supplement Patrick Bamford is essential:
“I think definitely he’ll be used. Patrick Bamford scored his couple against Millwall and you’re hoping he’s going to go on a run and score seven or eight. It never happened for him at the weekend. But that’s why it’s always good to have someone there… He’s scored goals in decent leagues, so hopefully he can come in and be a great asset for the football club. It will give everyone a lift, the fans, his teammates and that’s what you’re looking for.”
I feel like there is an awful lot of pressure being piled on this man’s shoulders given the way people like Gray are talking about him. I’ve written previously about the fact that he seems confident enough to handle the pressure, but the fact is that it shouldn’t all be down to him.
If you take a look at the breakdown of Leeds United’s goals this season, you can see that apart from Bamford’s 12, the rest of the goals have pretty much been spread around the team, with plenty already on four or five goals at this point in the campaign.
If Leeds are to stand any chance of promotion, those numbers need to stay at their current rate. The more players we can get chipping in goals, the less we are going to have to rely on Bamford and his less than ideal conversion rate.
Will Augustin cause more problems than he'll solve?
Hopefully Augustin can chip in with the odd one here and there as well, but the rest of the team need to do their job as well.