We certainly don’t envy Marcelo Bielsa.
The Argentine’s job must be one of the most stressful in the country, and it isn’t made any easier by constant selection headaches that are being thrown his way.
Whether it’s fans complaining about Ian Poveda’s treatment or calling for Illan Meslier to start, there’s always something to debate when it comes to team selection at Elland Road.
Of course, one of the biggest talking points this term has been the striker position.
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Early in the campaign the debate over Eddie Nketiah and Patrick Bamford raged on, and after the Arsenal man was recalled the conversation then became about Jean-Kevin Augustin.
However, things just got that much more complicated after Tyler Roberts’ incredible display off the bench on Saturday.
The 21-year-old netted a brace against Hull City to throw his hat into the ring as a contender for a place in the starting XI.
It’s not going to be easy for Bielsa to choose what to do, and it will only become harder if Leeds go up.
Indeed, if United go up, Augustin’s option to buy reportedly becomes an obligation for €21m (£18.25m), and then there will still be the Bamford vs Roberts debate alongside that.
To make matters even worse, not a single one of these forwards is proven at Premier League level.
Bamford is the only one to have played a decent number of games in England’s top-flight, but one goal in 27 outings doesn’t make for the best reading, while Roberts and Augustin have just one appearance between them at that level.
Ok, Augustin has scored goals in the Champions League before, but recent form suggests he’s dropped off, netting just one goal throughout the whole of 2019.
Bielsa’ current options will be giving him a headache, but his conundrum will only worsen if Leeds go up as he has to choose between taking a punt on three striking options who’ve never proven themselves at Premier League level or once again dipping into the market for a new number nine.
The latter option certainly won’t be cheap, especially if selling clubs know that Leeds need to sign a Premier League quality centre-forward, and it then becomes a separate debate between the new centre-forward or the options that already understand Bielsa’s system.
It seems that whenever it comes to Leeds’ front-line, nothing is straight-forward.
In other news, Phil Hay has issued an update on the future of Marcelo Bielsa.
