After being defeated 3-1 by Southampton on Saturday, Leeds United’s six-game unbeaten streak in the Championship came to an end.
Before halftime, Russell Martin’s team had already run wild at St. Mary’s, scoring three goals in the first 35 minutes.
Pascal Struijk’s goal in the second half was only a minor consolation for the Yorkshire-based team, who were unable to create a genuine comeback before the game’s conclusion.
What was Illan Meslier’s performance versus Southampton like?
Illan Meslier, a French goalkeeper, was one of Leeds’ prominent players, but for the wrong reasons, as he put on a subpar performance between the posts.
The first goal was way too easy for the Whites’ number one, who came out to close down Adam Armstrong from a very tight angle and didn’t stand up, giving the striker absolutely no room to squeak it in. Instead, Armstrong dinked the ball over him.
With Will Smallbone’s accurate finish for the second goal, he had little chance, but he was in doubt once more for the Saints’ third goal when Armstrong’s shot from the same area as the first rebounded over his knee and into the far corner.
Meslier recorded the lowest Sofascore rating for either team during the game with a score of 6.3 and finished the game with two saves out of five shots against him
Is Illan Meslier to be discontinued?
Since he has been a liability for the team since the beginning of last season, including the Southampton game, Daniel Farke must now ruthlessly remove the Leeds number one from the starting lineup.
The goalie, who makes £30k per week and was called a “massive liability” by journalist David Kent last season, had a poor 2022–23 Premier League season because he frequently allowed shots that a typical goalkeeper would have been expected to stop.
With Will Smallbone’s accurate finish for the second goal, he had little chance, but he was in doubt once more for the Saints’ third goal when Armstrong’s shot from the same area as the first rebounded over his knee and into the far corner.
Meslier recorded the lowest Sofascore rating for either team during the game with a score of 6.3 and finished the game with two saves out of five shots against him.
Leeds does have a goalkeeper on their bench who attracted attention with his performances at this level while on loan with Hull City during the 2022–23 season, though it may not be quite as substantial as last term yet.
On loan from Newcastle United, Karl Darlow impressed for the Tigers, making 1.7 more saves than anticipated in 12 Championship games.
The 32-year-old demonstrated his potential to be an above-average shot-stopper in the second division by stopping 71% of the attempts on his goal.
Meslier, on the other hand, ranks in the bottom 14% of his positional peers across leagues most similar to the Championship with a save success rate of 66.7% over the past 365 days.
Due to Darlow’s stronger shot-stopping skills, Farke might therefore boost his squad by benching the 23-year-old and letting him make his full-league debut.
