Leeds United flag at Elland Road. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)
Leeds United goalkeeper Illan Meslier has been heavily criticized for his performance against Hull City last weekend.
The 24-year-old goalkeeper was guilty of two goals in the 3-3 draw against the Tigers, and The Frenchman is clearly struggling with form and confidence right now.
BBC pundit Paul Robinson has now claimed that Meslier is struggling with a lack of confidence and this has affected his performances. In addition, he added that the goalkeeper depends excessively on his pace. He tends to play well when he’s full of confidence, but can be prone to making bad decisions when things aren’t going well.
“I think the change of Meslier was inevitable. He has all the tools in the bag, but he is a reliable goalkeeper,” said Robinson. BBC Radio 5 (January 11, 17:51).
“When he plays well, he makes good decisions, makes good saves and it goes without saying that he plays very well every week.”
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Meslier needs a breather
Meanwhile, the popular pundit also reflected on Leeds United defender Joe Rodon’s impulsive reaction to a Meslier howler against Hull City. Robinson added that the French goalkeeper is on the firing line and is also under tremendous pressure from his teammates.
“He needs a bit of rest, Illan Meslier. He’s in the firing line, he’s under a lot of pressure,” said the BBC pundit.
“You saw Joe Rodon’s reaction to him when he conceded the goal against Hull, maybe a bit of discomfort from his teammates as well.
It will be interesting to see if he can regain his sharpness in the coming weeks and cement himself as a regular starter once again. His mistake against Hull City saw the Whites drop him against Sheffield Wednesday.
There is no doubt that he is a quality goalkeeper with a bright future, and it remains to be seen whether he can redeem himself in the coming weeks.
