Leeds winger Ezgjan Alioski is out of form. But why?
Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa has made a big impact at the club so far.
He has turned the Whites from also-rans into title challengers. The question is whether they can maintain their form?
At former club Marseille, a promising start petered out as his players tired, struggling to cope with the high intensity demanded by the Argentine on a weekly basis.
Earlier this month The Independent looked at whether the ‘Bielsa burnout’ was something Leeds needed to be wary of.
At the moment it’s too early to tell, but one player is showing potential signs of tiredness.
Winger Ezgjan Alioski has faded badly after a bright start and is looking like a weak point currently in the Leeds XI.
Alioski began the season with three goals and three assists inside the opening two months.
He was particularly impressive early on, scoring in wins over Derby and Norwich.
Currently he looks like a shadow of that player, and has no goals or assists since October 6, a date which is almost two months ago now.
His last two performances were particularly turgid, booked in both and substituted early, brought off at half-time against Reading.
Alioski has taken a lot of criticism, and it’s easy to forget how good he can be.
He could be the first Leeds player to hit the wall and be so affected by fatigue that it is harming his game. As a Macedonia international, he has had no time to recuperate over the international breaks either.
Leeds are heading into a busy part of the season and need Alioski back to near his best.
A couple of weeks on the sidelines would help him out. Bielsa would be dropping him for his own good.
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