Joel Robles has hardly been seen in a Leeds United shirt this season. The Spanish goalkeeper’s arrival last summer on a free transfer flew under the radar and prior to this weekend his game time had been limited exclusively to cup competitions.
However, he now looks set to have a major say on Leeds’ survival hopes over the remainder of the season after winning the battle to be Sam Allardyce’s number one. The head coach’s first United team selection for the clash with Manchester City was always going to intrigue with big calls to be made across the park.
The biggest decision without a shadow of a doubt, though, came between the sticks, with Allardyce opting to take Illan Meslier out of the firing line immediately on the back of his miserable performance last time out at Bournemouth. Meslier’s potential and talent is undeniable but having seen his form fall off a cliff in recent months, something clearly had to give.
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It was Robles, then, who came into the starting XI for the clash at the Etihad Stadium and although he did concede twice, it’s fair to say the decision was justified. Allardyce has worked with Robles previously during their time at Everton together, and therefore he’s more than aware of what the 32-year-old is capable of bringing to his side.
That stability and levelheadedness was immediately obvious as he worked to marshal a backline that has developed a habit of leaking goals at an alarming rate of late. The Spaniard looked the part from a shot stopping perspective, getting down well early in the game to deny Erling Haaland with his legs.
He managed to keep Julian Alvarez at bay, too, with the World Cup winner seeing a shot smothered by the custodian before the interval. He could do little to prevent Ilkay Gundogan from finding the net with two shots from the edge of the area, but it was his well-placed hand that seemed to prevent the German from having the chance to poke home a third after seeing his initial penalty hit the post.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing for Robles, of course, but as Meslier found it hard to hide his true emotions whilst sat gloomily on the bench, the Spaniard was playing his part in helping to make life difficult for Man City. It was a call that was vindicated, not in the scoreline, but in influence and the solid performance he turned in.
Leeds will look to brush off the defeat at the Etihad quickly ahead of next weekend’s home clash with Newcastle United, but with just three games remaining, there’s a good chance it will be Robles’ name being jotted down first on Allardyce’s teamsheet for the rest of the month.
He’ll be the man training as the club’s number one over the next week and given his change in status, he may find himself having more of a say at Thorp Arch. What Allardyce’s decision means for Meslier, though, is hard to say.
In the short-term, the Frenchman will be expected to dust himself down, take the setback on the chin and compete to win his spot back. In the long-term, though, it could have more of an impact as he battles to work his way back to the being the player he knows he can be.
This is the first major piece of adversity he has encountered in his fledgling career and how he responds to it will almost immediately shape his immediate future and development as a player. For now, it seems as though his impact will be limited, but he simply has to react positively to the challenge Allardyce has set him.
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