It seems a bit harsh all things considered.
According to a report from Football Insider, Marcelo Bielsa has been speaking to forward Tyler Roberts recently and said the he needs to up his game if he is to have any chance of making a break into the first team, with the report later going on to state that he considers the 20-year-old Welsh international to be a ‘rare talent’.
It seems rather ironic that Roberts is being told to up his game when you had the likes of Patrick Bamford go through a rather barren spell where he couldn’t find the back of the net or register an assist for ten games. And it also seems harsh when you consider that Roberts has slowly been making his way back from a rather serious knee operation during the summer.
He has however started the last two games for Leeds United and managed to get himself on the scoresheet late in the first half in the game against QPR.
And that’s where I have a problem with this story, is that he hasn’t really been given a fair sample size to prove his worth, two full games after coming back from injury is far too early to be suggesting that his form needs ‘improvement’. Dipping in and out of the team, much in the same way he was made to do so last season, isn’t going to do him any favours as he tries to find his way back to form.
Once he gets a settled run in the side, and more importantly stays in the same position, rather than being bounced around all over the pitch as he was last year, then it will be fair game for Marcelo Bielsa to tell him to sharpen up or face being dropped.
Should Tyler Roberts play more?
Yes!
No!
But until then Mr Bielsa, just hold off the criticism.