Even though we’re only three games into the new season, it’s very clear that Mateusz Klich is once again going to be a vital component in the Leeds United squad.
He’s created the most chances in the Championship so far this season, provided an assist, and on Tuesday, he opened his goalscoring account for this campaign.
He was arguably the Whites’ most important player during the last campaign as he was the only player to start every single league game, but it may be time for the streak of consecutive starts to come to an end.
Last season fixture congestion and fatigue clearly affected the Pole’s performances. He only contributed to one goal through the busy festive period, and towards the back end of the season he wasn’t having the same effect either as he scored three and provided two assists in his final 17 games – including a very controversial strike against Aston Villa. These numbers through these periods aren’t great for a player who contributed to 19 goals throughout the whole term.
When he’s fresh and ready, there aren’t many better players in the division, but the fact is that he isn’t superhuman. He needs a rest from time to time, and after playing against Salford in midweek it may be time for him to drop out of the starting lineup in order to recover.
Leeds’ next game is Wigan away. This should be quite a straightforward game – the Latics have won just three of their last 18 Championship games and during that time they lost one of their star players in Nick Powell.
Resting Klich also gives Bielsa a chance to experiment with Helder Costa in the starting XI as Pablo Hernandez could move into the more central role which Klich usually occupies.
Rotation and keeping players fit will be essential if Bielsa wants his team to go up this season, and there may be no man more in need of a break than the 29-year-old who has started every single league game since the Argentine took over.